Allen Park — Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell, wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery and running backs coach Tashard Choice met with the media on Wednesday. Here are the highlights from those conversations.
Draft decision revisited
Going into April’s draft, it was not a secret that the Detroit Lions needed a long-term offensive tackle solution. The team had recently divorced with longtime starter Taylor Decker over compensation and free-agent addition Larry Borom was a stopgap, at best.
The good news? This past draft was loaded with tackle talent at the top. So, even though the Lions held the No. 17 pick, the general consensus is a quality prospect was going to fall to them.
As it turns out, two viable options were still on the board when the Lions were on the clock: Clemson’s Blake Miller and Georgia’s Monroe Freeling. The latter was slightly higher rated by most analysts, but the Lions unsurprisingly went with Miller, who demonstrated a grittiness beyond his physical ability that fit Detroit well.
This week, Miller and Freeling will share the field when the Lions travel to Charlotte play the Panthers. Carolina selected the other tackle two picks after Detroit snagged Miller.
On Wednesday, I asked Campbell how closely the two players were on Detroit’s board.
“Yeah, obviously, we held both in high regard,” Campbell said. “We did. And there was so much to it. High grades on both really, what they're both able to do, the athleticism, the length, the power in the run game, all those things. I think probably, for us, it was just Blake, he's taken a ton of reps.
“Listen, (Freeling) is doing a good job and he's going to continue to grow just like our guy is,” Campbell said. “The more reps you get, the better you get. And so that's really what it came down to, just more experience over a four-year period starting at tackle. That's it.”
Miller, a four-year starter, logged more than 3,700 snaps at Clemson. Freeling played less than half that tally.
Arguably more important was the experience at right tackle. It was fairly clear that the Lions were committed to moving Penei Sewell to the blind side after moving on from Decker. All of Miller’s work for the Tigers was on the right, while Freeling played fewer than 300 snaps on that side during his college career.
Interestingly, Freeling is playing right tackle for the Panthers. He’s started all three games and been OK, but has had some struggles in pass protection, allowing 14 pressures and a pair of sacks.
Miller missed a game, Week 2 against Buffalo, with a knee injury. However, in his two appearances, he’s been much steadier, allowing only three QB pressures and zero sacks.
Both are undeniably high-ceiling talents, but Miller’s early floor could easily be seen as higher because of his volume of work in college. So far, that’s how things have played out.
Game-planning wrench
The Panthers are going through some significant injury issues right now. Already down their two starting offensive tackles, the team lost both of its starting cornerbacks this past week, officially placing Pro Bowler Jaycee Horn and Michael Jackson on injured reserve on Wednesday.
On the surface, that creates a weakness the Lions can exploit. However, there’s also an element of the unknown that the Lions need to contend with while game-planning, from personnel to potential schematic changes to cover up the absences.
“When you have to go to other teams, previous teams — whether that be college or otherwise — to get tape and film on some guys to make sure you have a good feel for them, how they fit (defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero’s) scheme, you know, there's always the unknown,” Montgomery said. “You can use that history.
“…(Evero) is probably not going to change the scheme very much. We just have to figure out how these guys fit in. So there will be some adjustments as we go through the game. But I do like the length and physicality of both (replacements). …We're just very interested to see how schematically they're going to use these guys, and just try to make sure that they shine a light on the things that they do well. They are a little bit bigger, a little bit more physical, adding those pieces to it, so we'll figure it out as we get going.”
With Horn and Jackson out, the early expectation is Carolina will turn to 6-foot-2 Akayleb Evans, a former Vikings draft pick, who has barely played more than 100 defensive snaps since 2024.
On the other side, it should be 6-foot-1 rookie Will Lee III, a fourth-round choice out of Texas A&M. He’s seen work in each of the first three games, allowing 11 catches on 17 targets for 147 yards.
Producing for others
With 49 receiving yards, Jameson Williams had his most-productive game of the season. But it was everything he did when he wasn’t catching the ball that had an impact.
That included his run blocking, including high effort on the backside that allowed Jahmyr Gibbs to get into the end zone after reversing field. Additionally, there were a number of times when Gibbs drew the attention of multiple defenders on deep routes, creating opportunities for his teammates.
Montgomery said that’s not necessarily the intent. Quarterback Jared Goff’s first read is often Williams. But if the opponent is going to commit two, sometimes three defenders to the speedy deep threat, that also brings plenty of value to the offense.
Montgomery praised Williams for doing the little things right, including continuing to run full speed through the route when you draw extra defensive attention, to ensure you stay the focus until the ball comes out.
“Once those things start to come together, and you're doing them consistently, now the production starts to take off, then the production for the team with him out there is going to be really huge,” Montgomery said. “Not only are they playing cloud (coverage) to him, but now, when you start getting doubles on him, if you do choose to double he and (Amon-Ra St. Brown), now you're in one-on-one matchups and good situations with (Isaac TeSlaa) Tess, with (Gibbs) Gibby, with Sam (LaPorta).
Montgomery specifically highlighted LaPorta’s 28-yard, third-quarter catch on a touchdown drive as an example of Williams’ ability to free up his teammates.
Better late than never
After general manager Brad Holmes hit multiple home runs in his first three drafts, fueling Detroit’s rise from a perennial last place finisher to multiple-time division winner, the 2024 class has been a letdown and easy target for the GM’s critics.
First-rounder Terrion Arnold was released this offseason due to off-field problems, second-rounder Ennis Rakestraw missed most of his first two years with injury, Giovanni Manu hasn’t developed as hoped and Mekhi Wingo has spent the better part of two seasons as a healthy scratch.
The best you could say about the class was Holmes found a special teams standout in Sione Vaki and an average starting guard in Christian Mahogany.
It’s pretty clear the ‘24 class isn’t going to hold a candle to the three previous talent pools, but we’ve seen some recent flashes that the Lions might be able to get more than expected from the group coming into the campaign.
After being a healthy scratch the first two weeks this season, Rakestraw shined in Week 3 against the Jets, earning increased opportunities going forward. Vaki looks to be finally emerging as a reliable backfield complement to Jahmyr Gibbs. And Mahogany, although far from having the left guard job on lock, has been sharp in his two starts this season.
“There's a place for all three of those guys, and if they can serve those roles or whatever they're asked to do, it can elevate us,” Campbell said. “…We really need those guys to come through for us. We do. We need those guys. And really, it's been consistency in all three, whether that's just being young, or it's injuries. If we can get it out of them here, and this is here to stay and they continue to grow — it doesn't mean there won't be mistakes that are going to be made — but they can really help us. They have that ability.”
Pitting Jahmyr vs. Bijan
Choice has the unique claim that he coached the NFL’s two best running backs when they were in college. Choice worked with Gibbs at Georgia Tech and later served as Bijan Robinson’s position coach at the University of Texas.
Choice has had the privilege of working with Gibbs again in Detroit, but the coach also maintains a strong relationship with Robinson. And Choice has never hesitated to use one pupil to motivate the other.
“When I get to Texas, I knew who Jah was, he's my dude. I'm telling Bijan, ‘You got to be better than him,’” Choice said. “Now I'm here, and as soon as I saw Bijan (ran for 194 yards against the Packers), I had a chance to watch some of the game, and the first thing I did, I texted Bijan. I said, ‘Man, you put on a show tonight. You gave my boy something to aim at.’ And I’m telling Jah, ‘Man, they’re saying he’s way better than you. You gotta go do something.’ It's a competitive thing and you're supposed to do that.”
Gibbs didn’t quite run for 200 yards against the Jets, but still had a massive impact in the victory, racking up 164 yards from scrimmage and scoring three touchdowns.
But don’t expect compliments from Choice. That’s not how he coaches. If you’re under his learning tree, criticism comes before praise.
“That's why I do the talking, try to get him motivated, try to find something to poke at him,” Choice said. “When everybody tells him he's good, I tell him he's the sorriest player. He’ll have a good game, and I'm in his head about every single little thing that he didn't do (right). And that's what I have to be for him.”
Choice said Gibbs is so even-keeled that he laughs off the harsh approach, but Choice sees the coaching points being absorbed and applied. And he always makes sure to let the players know how much he values them as people so that the relationships don’t sour.
“I think the thing that got me into coaching was I had a chance to work with some coaches that really emphasized that you coach the player, but you love the person,” Choice said. “So, if I was to tell you, as a football player, you play a little harder when there's coaches that love you more than just the game. It's more than just football, more than just plays, but really, ‘Hey, man, how's your family doing?’ They want to get to know you, so they know what makes you go, what doesn’t make you go.”
Keeping limits on challenges
A few times per season, there will be a controversial pass-interference call that directly impacts the outcome of a game. Obviously, the most notable was the blatant non-call at the end of the 2018 NFC Championship game.
There were a couple of debatable calls that fell into that bucket this week, potentially costing the Cowboys and Rams a chance to seal games they ended up losing.
Those plays lead to annual debate about whether pass interference should be something coaches can challenge or the booth can review.
The league experimented with it in 2019, after the NFC Championship debacle before quickly reverting to the current setup.
Campbell would like to see it stay the way it is.
“I just know when we tried to do this whole thing, it just gets muddy, man.” Campbell said. “It's so subjective is what happens. And I think what you run into is the same thing that we're running into with catch/no catch. …if it's 50-50, they're going to go with what's been called. Now, you do enough of these, now the game gets extended, you're waiting to figure out what they're going to say. So, I'm all good with it not being a challenge anymore. Those guys have got to make the call, and you've got to live with it.”
Growth for Gibbs
Gibbs is one of the best pure runners in football, but what has elevated him into the conversation of game’s elite at the position has been his growth as a receiver.
That started a year ago, when he jumped from 52 to 77 receptions. However, he’s on an early pace to crush last year’s production as a pass catcher.
It’s not simply about targets, but how he’s winning, including a lot of motions into the slot, where he’s shown the ability to beat linebackers, safeties and even nickel cornerbacks with his release at the line of scrimmage.
That’s an advanced skill not often seen among running backs.
“Physical conditioning precedes everything else,” Montgomery said. “He came into camp this year in the best shape that I've seen him come into a camp setting. Then once we got to camp, he did have the ability to go one-on-ones against corners, against nickels. So his development, and the development plan that coach Campbell put together for him this offseason, and the things that we talked about on our checklist of making sure that he could get done, he got it done early in camp.
“So we started to see these different things really quickly,” Montgomery said. “He ran some delta routes, some different things, crossing routes that you just don't see backs traditionally run, double moves, all these things. So we really kind of realized quickly that he could do the stuff, the zone routes, all these different things. …If you walk down on him (as a defender), it doesn't matter if you're a nickel, if you're a backer, I mean, he's gone. It's one of those situations where he has elite quickness, he has elite speed, and now he has elite coach recognition. He's gotten a lot better.”
Injuries and transactions
The Lions filled an opening on their 53-man roster by signing veteran linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga off their practice squad. During his career, he’s logged nearly 1,500 special teams snaps.
In terms of practice participation, guard Ben Bartch (foot) and defensive end DJ Wonnum (back) sat out on Wednesday. Cornerback DJ Reed (ribs) was limited.