ALLEN PARK — It was a tough day for the Detroit Lions offense, which struggled to get much going with the first team on the field while also losing running back David Montgomery to injury.
Montgomery was the top offensive player signed in free agency, inking a three-year, $18 million deal to become the workhorse back in Detroit. He spent the last four seasons in Chicago and tied for the league lead in broken tackles last year.
He’s expected to replace Jamaal Williams as the thunder in Detroit’s backfield in the fall, while rookie Jahmyr Gibbs will replace D’Andre Swift as the lightning. Now both backs have been slowed by injuries this spring, with Gibbs missing most of rookie training camp with a minor ankle issue.
Gibbs was back on the field Thursday as the Lions wrapped up their initial batch of OTAs, but Montgomery left practice early with what appeared to be a left leg injury. Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez also left practice moments later.
Here are some more observations from the workout:
— OTAs are voluntary, but attendance was good. Only center Frank Ragnow (toe), cornerback Emmanuel Moseley (ACL), safety Tracy Walker (Achilles), guard Jonah Jackson, receiver Trinity Benson and defensive linemen Levi Onwuzurike (back), Benito Jones and Isaiah Buggs were not participating. Head coach Dan Campbell said some of those absences were excused for family reasons, while others like Walker, Moseley and Onwuzurike were still on hand for the workout despite injuries.
Walker played just three games last year before blowing out his Achilles, perhaps the most devastating injury in the game. But he was running hard on the side with a trainer, and appears ready to rejoin the team any day now. He’ll be full-go for Day 1 of training camp, and let’s just say his excitement to get the green light is unmistakable.
“It’s so (expletive) — excuse my language. — it’s so difficult for me (to not be with the team), because I’ll be on the sideline, and I’m just over there running and doing my conditioning and I’m like, ‘Man, I can go out here and run and do all my coverages and stuff,’” Walker said. “But that said, that’s the patient part. And you know, unfortunately, I have to be patient, I have everybody around me like, ‘slow down. Don’t go out there. We need you.’ So it’s cool to know that I’m wanted and I’m needed on this team. But at the same time, I want to go out there still and go perform and do what I do best. So it sucks. But it’s I guess a bittersweet feeling?”
With Walker still working his way back to the field, Kerby Joseph and C.J. Gardner-Johnson are operating as the primary safeties with the first-team defense. Gardner-Johnson played mostly safety last season in Philadelphia, while holding a safety/slot hybrid role during his early years in New Orleans.
Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn was on that Saints staff, and his relationship with Gardner-Johnson is a big reason Detroit was able to land one of the best defensive backs to make it to free agency this year. Glenn said he expects CJGJ to eventually revert back to his Saints hybrid role.
No matter where he lines up, it’s already clear just how much energy he’ll provide to the defense. He jawed nonstop during practice on Thursday, and it wasn’t always totally friendly.
“Definitely a character,” Walker said. “I love it. Me and him have a lot of similarities. We love talking our trash, so it’s gonna be a lot of trash-talking this year. Stay tuned for that. Honestly, he’s just energy. He’s a very energetic guy. And like I say, you know, we got a lot of guys right now who’s gonna bring a lot of energy and gonna make a lot of plays.”
— With Ragnow and Jackson out, Graham Glasgow earned the first-team reps at center while Kayode Awosika was at left guard. Glasgow played across the interior during his first stint in Detroit. With Ragnow and Halapoulivaati Vaitai battling health issues throughout last year, Glasgow’s starting experience and versatility is a nice safety blanket up front.
— It was only one day of OTAs, and the first round of OTAs at that, so you have to be careful how much you read into what you’re seeing on the field. But it’s fair to say the defense got the upper hand today. The new blood on defense certainly doesn’t hurt, with C.J. Gardner-Johnson playing mostly at safety, while Cam Sutton was at cornerback. Rookie linebacker Jack Campbell got most of his reps on the second team, but it’s fair to say he’ll be in the starting lineup alongside Alex Anzalone soon enough.
“It’s a great addition to our room,” Anzalone said, “a great addition to our defense.”
Quarterback Jared Goff struggled to find a consistent rhythm against the top defense, although Amon-Ra St. Brown had no problem picking up where, well, he’s always been. He caught everything in his zip code, and dusted Will Harris for a huge catch-and-run up the right sideline. And about an hour after practice was over, there was only one player left standing on the field, still catching footballs out of the JUGS machine. Yep. Amon-Ra St. Brown.
— Jameson Williams is still fast. He also still remains a work in progress. He caught only one pass during team drills — on a quick out route — while not being on the same page with his quarterback on one deep ball, plus dropping a well-placed bomb from Nate Sudfeld in the end zone. Drops were not a big issue for him at Alabama, although they did dog him once he hit the practice field in Detroit late last year, and he put three more footballs on the grass in his six-game debut.
Again, it’s early, and it’s especially early for a guy who has one career catch in the pros, after starting one season in college. There’s no reason to overreact. I was more concerned by his apparent inability to recall much of anything about his gambling history. He says he wants to be accountable for his suspension, yet apparently doesn’t know how he violated the NFL rule, or whether he has bet on college football or basketball (because it was “a long time ago”) and so on. If he doesn’t want to talk about his gambling, no problem, then just say that. Just don’t say you’re taking accountability for your actions, because it doesn’t really seem like he is.
— First-round pick Jahmyr Gibbs was out with a minor ankle injury during the day of rookie minicamp that was open to reporters, so today was the public’s first opportunity to lay eyes on the prized running back. And that guy on the same field with Jameson Williams, well, the upgrade in team speed was obvious. Gibbs also shagged punts as a returner, and special teams coordinator Dave Fipp said he could be in the mix for kick returner too.
