Detroit Free Press

D’Andre Swift looks bigger this offseason, his sleeves rolled up to his shoulders instead of half way down his biceps. Just don’t say that publicly, asks Detroit Lions running backs coach Deuce Staley, who fears it will go right to his head. “Please, don’t tell him that,” Staley said on day five of Organized Team Activities at

Aaron Glenn always envisioned Ifeatu Melifonwu being a Swiss army knife in the Detroit Lions secondary. This fall, Melifonwu might finally be ready to bring that concept to life. As a rookie, Melifonwu played primarily in nickel and dime packages as a slot cornerback, but he made his first career start at outside corner in a

The Detroit Lions‘ kicking competition is down to two. The Lions cut veteran kicker Aldrick Rosas on Tuesday and were awarded defensive John Cominsky off waivers from the Atlanta Falcons. A MAN CAN WISH: Lions special teams coordinator loves Jameson Williams, doesn’t expect to have him Rosas, a Pro Bowler with the New York Giants in

Dave Fipp considers himself a charter member of the Jameson Williams fan club. When the Detroit Lions front office asked Fipp, the special teams coordinator, for his evaluation of the Alabama receiver in the pre-draft process, Fipp called Williams “one of my favorite guys in the draft.” “What he put on film on special teams

Josh Reynolds was relaxing in his hotel room after the first day of Organized Team Activities when news of the Uvalde school shooting pinged his phone Tuesday. Immediately, Reynolds called his mother, Michele. Reynolds, in his second season with the Detroit Lions, grew up in San Antonio, about an hour east of Uvalde. He remembers playing

The Detroit Lions took eight players in the 2022 NFL draft. Six selections were on defense — two guys at all three levels — and of the two that were on offense, one was play-making wide receiver Jameson Williams, the other big-bodied, athletic tight end James Mitchell. One unit that went unaddressed: the offensive line. General Manager Brad Holmes said the

Dan Campbell thought Aaron Glenn was gone. When Glenn, the Detroit Lions’ 49-year-old defensive coordinator interviewed for the New Orleans Saints head coaching position in February, Campbell thought for sure his good friend and trusted assistant was going to be the Saints’ pick to replace Sean Payton. “I was going to be happy as hell

It’s early. But already you can sense how the Detroit Lions are taking shape. On Thursday, before the third day of organized team activities this offseason — the first open to reporters — coaches talked about scheme and competition and the hope for young players to take a step forward. Players aren’t wearing pads yet, but

So, that’s it? There’s nothing we can do? Toss out a few Bible verses, offer up some prayers and hope that a “good guy with a gun” shows up the next time a teenager with an assault rifle barricades himself in an elementary school classroom and begins to shoot? You good with that? No? Neither

Ben Johnson stood on the sideline a few feet from Detroit Lions special assistant Chris Spielman, a white sheet of paper in one hand and a black walkie talkie with a yellow antenna in the other. As Jared Goff huddled his offense during 11-on-11 drills Thursday, Johnson held the walkie talkie up to his mouth and relayed

As the Detroit Lions began their Organized Team Activities this week, the spirit seemed different, at least according to head coach Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. Why? Both cited the new sense of “competition” within the team’s Allen Park headquarters Thursday. “I will tell you this, you talk about competition in the room, just

Less than nine months after rupturing his Achilles tendon, Detroit Lions cornerback Jeff Okudah is back on the football field and looks healthy. Okudah was a limited participant Thursday in the Lions’ third practice of Organized Team Activites. He took first-team reps at left cornerback during a walk-through period at the start of practice, then spent part of individual

One former NFL quarterback ranks him 30th. An ex-NFL general manager puts him in Tier 6. One of the premier analytics websites has him in Tier D. No matter who does the ranking, no one seems to like Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff as much as the Lions do. The Lions passed on a quarterback

So, the Detroit Lions. And the national buzz they’re getting. And the skepticism percolating inside you because of that buzz. You’ve read it. You’ve heard it. From metrics collectors who like their (soft) schedule and days of rest between games to analysts who are doing their best to tamp down their own giddiness. Like ESPN’s

At 25 years old, Chase Lucas is easily the elder statesman of the Detroit Lions’ 2022 draft class, which has made him the target of some good-natured ribbing. “He was at Arizona State for quite a while,” Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said. “I think he was there before I got (to USC) and was still

We’re in a lull in the NFL calendar, one the league that never sleeps is probably dreaming up ways to exploit. The draft is over, rookie minicamp is done, the start of organized team activities is a few days away and football’s summer hiatus is nearing, so it seems like a good time to knock

Malcolm Rodriguez has big plans for his rookie season with the Detroit Lions this fall. “Definitely start on special teams, that’s the kicker,” Rodriguez told reporters during rookie minicamp last week. “Special teams is big here and so getting on special teams and working my way up in the linebacker room.” The Lions could have more new

Jared Goff learned a hard lesson in his first experience with the HBO football reailty series “Hard Knocks” in 2016 — not what direction the sun rises, but what not to say when TV cameras are around. Goff said being on “Hard Knocks” was “not as bad you think,” but after two appearances on the

The Detroit Lions are not going to a no-huddle offense under new coordinator Ben Johnson this fall, but head coach Dan Campbell said the hurry-up could be a bigger weapon for his team in 2022. “We want to be able to do anything and everything that we can at any given time,” Campbell said Saturday at

One prominent Detroit Lion has no problem with the team being left off the NFL’s primetime schedule for the second time in three years. “It’s awesome,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said Saturday on Day 2 of rookie minicamp. “You knock them out, you go home, you get ready for the next opponent. You’re not waiting