After two days of joint practices with the Miami Dolphins, we have seen more reps for the Detroit Lions starters than much of training camp combined. It\u2019s easy to see why some coaches prefer joint practices for their first-string players over training camp, because it\u2019s so much work and allows for a more focused assessment of what the team wants to evaluate.<\/p>\n
For a full recap of each practice, make sure you check out our observations of each day:<\/p>\n
To recap both days, here are my winners and losers from the Lions\u2019 viewpoint.<\/p>\n
St. Brown is a winner without a shadow of a doubt. While I missed the first day of the offense, the All-Pro\u2019s one-minute highlight reel of a single practice<\/a> is all I needed to see. On Day 2, St. Brown was still very much a problem for the Dolphins\u2019 secondary. Each time Detroit found themselves behind the sticks, St. Brown was the one who pulled them out, and he was dangerous no matter where he was on the field.<\/p>\n The starting Lions secondary<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes, the Dolphins offense was missing its two biggest weapons in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle for most team drills, but the Lions were also down Terrion Arnold and Kerby Joseph on the day I focused on the Lions defense. It didn\u2019t matter. D.J. Reed, Amik Robertson, Rock Ya-Sin, and Brian Branch were absolutely brilliant all day on Wednesday, frustrating Tua Tagovailoa to a point where he often found himself giving up on plays, both during 7-on-7s and 11-on-11s.<\/p>\n Speaking of frustrating Tagovailoa, the Lions\u2019 premier edge rusher continues to prove there should be no concern over his recovery from injury. He very well could have had double-digit sacks over the two days of practice.<\/p>\n Just because I feel like it sometimes gets glossed over in our observations, I think it\u2019s worth pointing out part of the reason St. Brown and Jameson Williams have these monster days is because Goff has been on a heater as of late. His chemistry with St. Brown feels telepathic, and the connection with Williams has taken such a huge step over the past two years that it\u2019s more surprising than not when Goff misfires on a deep shot.<\/p>\n Digging deep on the roster, Britton was one of my surprise standouts from Thursday\u2019s practice. Added just five days ago, Britton was excellent in individual drills, and because Detroit was shorthanded at offensive tackle, he got plenty of time with the second-team offense at right tackle. Some of that success\u2014particularly in the run game\u2014carried over to team drills. I don\u2019t think he has enough time to take a roster spot from Giovanni Manu or Dan Skipper, but he could very well find himself on the practice squad. At just 25 years old, there could be some long-term potential there.<\/p>\n With the unfortunate injury to Dicaprio Bootle<\/a>, there is more room in Detroit\u2019s cornerback depth chart for a reserve to make a run at the 53-man roster. Whiteside had a strong day with the reserves on Day 1 of practice, including an interception. Then, on Day 2, he was the cornerback who jumped in with the starters on the final team drill of practice when Terrion Arnold took a break. On top of that, Whiteside got a big compliment from coach Dan Campbell this week.<\/p>\n \u201cI like Whiteside, man. Just the fact that he comes in, he competes, he\u2019s a pro, he jumps into every drill, even if he\u2019s not supposed to be in there. He wants it. He\u2019s a sponge and he likes to compete,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cAre there things he\u2019s got to get better at? Yeah, of course he does, but he just got here, too. There\u2019s something to work with here.\u201d<\/p>\n Vaki is a winner just for getting back on the field and getting some serious reps with the second team\u2014though he\u2019s still clearly behind Craig Reynolds. While he reportedly fumbled on Day 1 of joint practices, he bounced back with a couple of touchdowns on Thursday while displaying some serious physicality to his game.<\/p>\n After Day 1, Campbell gave Ratledge the high compliment of saying he looks like an NFL guard now. On Day 2, while there was a misstep or two, he and Penei Sewell look like an absolute force in the run game. Several times on the day, the Lions were able to get explosive runs off the right side of the line, and you can see the progress the two have made in non-verbal communication out there.<\/p>\n