Lions joint practice observations: Offense, defense both sizzle in first day working against Dolphins
Allen Park — Here are some notes and observations from the Detroit Lions’ Wednesday morning training camp practice, a joint session with the Miami Dolphins.
● Quickly, on the injury front. Running back Sione Vaki returned to practice. So did cornerback Terrion Arnold (hamstring), but only working through individual drills. As for defensive end Ahmed Hassanein, who exited Monday's practice early after getting rolled up, he was back on the field Wednesday, but limited to individuals.
Not practicing — wide receivers Tim Patrick (quad) and Dominic Lovett (abdomen), safety Morice Norris (concussion), defensive lineman Pat O’Connor (lower leg) and safety Kerby Joseph (unknown).
Two players left practice with injuries on Wednesday. Recently signed offensive lineman Keaton Sutherland had to be carted off with a knee injury, while cornerback DiCaprio Bootle left early to be evaluated for a lower leg issue.
Wide receiver Kalif Raymond didn’t leave early. Still, he did head into the locker room with a trainer after practice with an almost bow-legged limp. However, it could have been something as simple as cramping.
● OK, what you need to understand about joint practices is there’s so much going on that you need to narrow your focus. Heading into the day, I decided I would focus on Detroit’s defense. But to round out the picture of practice, I was able to work out an agreement with trusted colleague and friend of the program, Will Burchfield, to exchange notes. So all the offensive insights provided in this post, outside the two-minute drive stuff from the end of the day, are courtesy of Will.
● Let’s start with my first-hand observations of the defense, starting with one-on-one work between the receivers and defensive backs.