ALLEN PARK, Mich. — And with that, the Detroit Lions’ offseason workouts are all but finished.
By now, the vets have left town. The young guys still here will wrap things up this week. They’ll be given north of a month to wind down with their families before reporting back for training in July, for the start of what they hope will be a special season.
Advertisement
But until then, here are our final thoughts on a productive spring period.
The cornerback room could finally be ready
Arguably the most impressive position group this spring, relative to how far they’ve come, was the cornerback room.
It was easy to say the group was much-improved based on all the offseason activity, but actually watching it on the field and the way these guys carry themselves, it’s unlike anything I’ve seen from the position over the years. Lions LBs coach Kelvin Sheppard co-signed those sentiments.
“Being on this practice field, hearing corners talking trash out the huddle saying, ‘I got this guy and it’s nothing you gonna do about it,’ — I haven’t been around that since I’ve been here and I’ve rarely been around it in the league,” Sheppard said. “It’s rare you get guys like that — that walk, talk and act with that type of confidence — and we have multiple of them right now.”
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox. Sign up
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox. Sign up
Buy
Yes, yes they do. Carlton Davis III is one of the most physical corners I’ve watched up close. He’s exactly what they’ve been missing in terms of an in-your-chest man corner. I can’t help but remember a game plan against the Miami Dolphins in 2022, in which former DBs coach Aubrey Pleasant revealed he wanted to jam those dangerous Dolphins receivers at the line of scrimmage and get physical with them. Lions corners weren’t up to the task and couldn’t execute. I don’t think that’ll be a problem with Davis leading this group.
Beyond him, Terrion Arnold showed flashes of being the player Detroit drafted him to be. He exudes confidence, but not in a cocky, arrogant way that some defensive backs are wired. It all stems from a place of confidence and knowing exactly who he is. Corners get in trouble when they try to fake who they are. Arnold is as real as they come.
Amik Robertson is sometimes the forgotten man, but the word that’s often associated with him is “compete.” That’s what he’s here to do. He has a challenge mindset, packaged in a smaller body. Like the DB equivalent of Scrappy Doo. He just wants a chance and will fight until the very last bell. The Lions love that about him.
Advertisement
And then there’s Ennis Rakestraw — more reserved by nature, but his words carry weight when you really listen.
“I mean, you feel like rookies, but at the end of the day, if you feel like a rookie and you let the moment get too big for you, then what are you?” Rakestraw said Tuesday. “So you know, you gotta put yourself on the same pedestal as them. Those guys get paid and we get paid as well. So, it’s a privilege and competition is what we like to do.”
This room has done a complete 180 in terms of mindset and mentality. The hope is that it translate to the field this fall. If it does, watch out.
Jameson Williams can take the offense to a new level — if he’s ready to
It can be a daunting thought, losing a solid veteran wide receiver like Josh Reynolds. He’s played with Jared Goff for almost the entirety of his NFL career, developing trust and comfort over the years. Ever since the Lions added him during the 2021 season, he was a steady presence in the receiver room. Reynolds was a reliable third option for the Lions last season with 40 receptions for 608 yards and five touchdowns. Every player and coach will tell you what he meant to that room.
Same time, there’s reason to be excited about his replacement: Jameson Williams.
You know all about Williams by now. The 2022 No. 12 pick with an aura that can’t help but draw attention — positive or negative. An injury his rookie year, followed by a suspension-shortened sophomore year has everyone in town wondering if this is Williams’ time. And by all accounts, Williams himself has taken the necessary mental strides to prepare for a starter’s workload.
Williams has impressed with his work on the outside, winning over the middle and downfield. He seems far more focused, far more engaged. He’s getting consistent reps with the first team, and he’s been tied to the hip of All-Pro WR Amon-Ra St. Brown after each one. His chemistry with Goff is also steadily improving, and even when they’ve been out of sync, it’s rarely because Williams ran the wrong route or wasn’t where he was supposed to be. Instead, it’s been instances of Goff overthrowing Williams, perhaps trusting him to go get it. You’d rather have that than Goff miss Williams short. They’re working on the deep ball together. This spring was the perfect time to iron things out.
Advertisement
I get the sense they’ll look better in training camp because of this time in May and June. They’ve been getting four, five, six plays together at a time, as opposed to one or two like last year. Those add up when you’re doing multiple team scrimmage periods per practice. All in all, Williams is in a good place — easily the best he’s been as a Lion. What happens from here is up to him.
Hendon Hooker’s on his way, but it’s going to take time
This offseason period has been one of ups and downs for Hendon Hooker. It’s nothing too surprising. We knew there would be a developmental period in his first full offseason, coming from a college system that doesn’t translate well to the NFL. But it was nice learning why those struggles — accuracy, holding onto the ball too long, perhaps a bit of overthinking — have been so prevalent.
Lions passing game coordinator helped explain the root of it all. The Lions are changing his footwork.
“Really, it’s just getting him engulfed in the footwork at which we want the quarterback to play within the passing game, within the system. He comes from a different system at Tennessee in college where really he was almost standing still — almost like sitting in cement at times where there was no movement going on and he’s waiting. Where now it’s things are in rhythm, in timing, the routes should be coming open at a specific time in his drop and the ball needs to be thrown at those at those times.”
Hearing that, on the final open practice of spring, really put things into perspective. There were times you’d question why the ball wasn’t thrown or why a pass would sail. But if the Lions are breaking down Hooker’s footwork to build it back up in their system, it makes all the sense in the world. Even as he continues to re-wire his footwork, one thing coaches have been consistent about is his mindset of improvement. Engstrand said it’s been drastic since the first day of OTAs. He believes his accuracy has improved, he’s more comfortable calling plays and continues to develop.
The more time on task he has, the better off they’ll think he’ll be.
“I think just as that becomes second nature to him, you’ll continue to see the improvement there,” Engstrand said. “For sure.”
The continuity of the coaching staff is more evident than it’s ever been
One thing that’s been clear as day is just how far along the Lions are under head coach Dan Campbell. This is Year 4. Many of the assistants he started this thing with are still in team meetings with him. Aaron Glenn, Ben Johnson, Dave Fipp, Antwaan Randle El, Hank Fraley, Mark Brunell, Sheppard and Engstrand are all in their fourth seasons together. Steve Heiden and Scottie Montgomery are in their second seasons with this crew, after an extremely successful first year. And while there are some new faces joining the crew this offseason, you don’t see this sort of continuity often in the NFL.
Advertisement
With that in mind, I asked Engstrand what this offseason, in particular, has been like.
“I think it’s been fantastic because as coaches, you’re always coaching, but last year, there was a lot of coaching the coaches because they were new,” Engstrand said. “This year, everybody’s on the same page, we all know what we’re doing, we’re able to jump into Year 3 in the offense and (we’re) not necessarily being — not dragged, but bringing along slowly as we’re teaching the players and the coaches. Now the coaches are coaching the players as we go and everybody’s really on the same page in continuity understanding why we’re doing things. What are the details? Where do we need to be? I think that’s been a huge advantage for us this spring for sure.”
The byproduct of that? A heightened sense of urgency and attention to detail. When the Lions had their vets in here for minicamp, each day included a hyperfocused situational period. Red zone. Ball on the 1. Two-possession late-game scenarios. You name it, the Lions did it — or so it felt. Factor in growth from young players, and you can see this team taking those advanced steps in real time.
These Lions have progressed beyond the basics of the teaching stage, thanks to that continuity. That’s a potentially scary thought for the league.
The Lions believe they’re ready to win a Super Bowl
Before his veterans left for the summer, off to train on their own and enjoy an extended break before a much-anticipated 2024 season, Campbell was asked what his message to them would be.
He told them to remember what they’re playing for. To think about what they want out of this season. To envision what they want their February to look like.
Then, Campbell was asked what he wants out of this season.
“You know what I want,” Campbell said. “I want the whole enchilada.”
Advertisement
These were not comments Campbell or anyone in the building were making this time a year ago. Back then, there was a cautious optimism to all of this. The Lions had finished 9-8 but missed the playoffs. Campbell was a coach who knew what he had if things came together, but publicly, it was about winning the division, getting in the dance and seeing what happens. There was little to no talk of enchiladas. That’s no longer the case.
“Before you can set goals, you have to set a foundation,” Sheppard said. “So I think right now, the things we’ve been discussing this offseason have been foundationally. I think we all know where we’re at as an organization and what the goal is this year. Dan, the whole enchilada, he’s been eating a lot of Mexican. But that’s what we’re all in this year, is for the whole enchilada.”
Yes, the Detroit Lions are openly talking about the Super Bowl. And they should. There’s no need to roll your eyes. It’s not coachspeak. This is where they’re at as a franchise.
(Top photo of Amik Robertson and Terrion Arnold: Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA Today)
