Detroit Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley joked before practice Tuesday, June 16, that the first rule he gave his new offensive line assistant, Dan Skipper, was no fighting coaches and no fighting players.
“It’s still early,” Fraley said. “We haven’t got to training camp, so we’re in underwear running around right now. Wait till training camp happens as a reminder, ‘Hey, if a fight goes on, on the field, just stand back here. Don’t get involved.'”
Skipper was involved in a training camp fight or two in his nine seasons as a player and spent the past few seasons as the Lions’ de facto − but beloved − enforcer.
But there he was Tuesday, on the first day of mandatory minicamp, heading Fraley’s warning and playing the role of peacemaker when things got chippy on the second-team field during jog-through.
I didn’t see what instigated the scuffle, but Devin Cochran − who’s vying for the No. 4 tackle spot and has taken second-team left tackle reps most of the spring − and undrafted rookie pass rusher Anthony Lucas exchanged shoves and a few punches during a two-play sequence in practice.
Lucas got knocked to the ground on the first play, and a brief shoving match ensued between him and Cochran. Teammates stepped in, the linemen went their separate ways, and after the next play Lucas and center Seth McLaughlin appeared to exchange words before Cochran re-entered the skirmish.
Punches flew. Teammates separated the linemen again. And as Cochran stood behind the huddle the next play letting his emotions settle, Skipper walked over to calm his players.
A cult hero in Detroit, Skipper has long been considered a coach-in-waiting. He was one of the smartest players in the Lions locker room, a good teacher for young linemen and he seems to be settling nicely into his role as an assistant.
“He’s been great,” Fraley said. “It’s been a great energy. The guys in that room that have been around with him, he’s always been like Coach Skip to those guys anyway, after practice, running drills and doing things and taking young guys under his wing and so it’s just been a smooth transition for him.”
More observations from Tuesday’s practice:
Defense dominates early
The Lions have just two minicamp practices this week, and Tuesday’s was dominated by the defense.
Rookie linebacker Jimmy Rolder, undrafted rookie defensive back Aamaris Brown and veteran safety Chuck Clark had interceptions, the defense dropped two more picks during 11-on-11 drills and the first- and second-team offense combined for one first down during the situational period.
Rolder’s pick came near the end of seven-on-seven drills against the second-team offense, when Teddy Bridgewater looked to his right after the snap then came back to his left to throw a slant pass. A fourth-round pick out of Michigan who might push for a starting job this fall, Rolder made a perfect read on the play and had a clear path to the end zone.
Brown’s interception came against undrafted rookie quarterback Luke Altmyer on the final play of the Lions’ 11-on-11 period, not long after Khalil Dorsey dropped a Jared Goff pass to Isiah Pacheco in the flat. And Clark snagged a Goff pass that sailed over Amon-Ra St. Brown’s head on the second play of the Lions’ situational period.
Goff completed a 14-yard pass to St. Brown to start the period, which put the offense in a first-and-10 at its own 11, down, 21-20, with 45 seconds on the clock and two timeouts. And the second-team defense forced a four-and-out against the second-team offense (when Loren Strickland dropped a would-be interception on second down).
“I feel like the defense is moving in an uptick, great direction,” cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. told me. “From the start of OTAs to now, we definitely took a step, took a leap, but we just got to keep stacking days. We can’t always have one good day, then fall back and have a bad day. We’re just trying to stay on one path, one good direction.”
Ennis Rakestraw Jr. works as first-team CB
Rakestraw got some work with the first-team defense at the cornerback spot opposite D.J. Reed as the Lions continue to evaluate their options at the position.
A second-round pick out of Missouri in 2024, Rakestraw has played just 46 defensive snaps in his first two seasons because of injury. He still has excellent movement skills, but he got beat for two of the easiest catches in seven-on-seven drills Tuesday, an out by Jameson Williams when he was late reacting to Williams’ break and a post by Isaac TeSlaa.
Some growing pains are to be expected given how little Rakestraw has played, but the Lions are smart to forcefeed Rakestraw reps now. There’s a good chance they’re going to need him at some point this fall.
Rock Ya-Sin also took some first-team reps at cornerback, playing opposite both Reed and Rakestraw, while Terrion Arnold did not take part in team drills as he continues to return from shoulder surgery. If I had to offer my best guess now I’d make Ya-Sin the slight favorite to start at the No. 2 cornerback spot Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints.
Terrion Arnold with the second team?
Arnold’s situation is an interesting one.
Lions coach Dan Campbell said at the start of OTAs not to read too much into rotations and which field players are practicing on for jog-through, but it’s impossible not to notice that Arnold has been on the second field in both practices he’s taken part in this spring that have been open to media.
Arnold had a rough go of things last year, when he was in and out of the lineup because of injuries, merely OK when he was on the field and coaches grew frustrated with his lack of availability. I don’t know what will happen with the off-field situation that has hung over his head all offseason, and it may be much ado about nothing.
But it appears the Lions are making him work to earn his starting spot back. At the very least, it’s something to ask Campbell and Lions secondary coach Deshea Townsend about before the final practice of spring Wednesday, June 17.
Blake Miller gets starting reps at RT
One more depth chart note: Rookie first-round pick Blake Miller was first up in the right tackle rotation Tuesday after working behind veteran Larry Borom in the first three open practices of spring.
I wrote at the start of OTAs that I expect Miller to eventually earn the starting job, though practices are still without pads so that’s probably a ways away from happening.
The Lions have been pretty consistent with their offensive line rotation this spring, with Miller, Borom and Penei Sewell getting No. 1 field work at tackle and Juice Scruggs and Miles Frazier working as the top interior backups. Veteran Ben Bartch hasn’t practiced this spring and still could push Christian Mahogany for the left guard job, but the Lions appear to have a top nine across their entering training camp.
Armed and dangerous … coaches?
The Lions have several ex-quarterbacks on their coaching staff including Mark Brunell, Mike Kafka, Marquis Tuiasosopo and Bruce Gradkowski. Asked who has the best arm of the group before practice, Brunell said, “Me, no doubt,” before backtracking.
“No, that’s a great question,” he said. “We talk about it quite a bit but it’s not me. It’s really not. My money’s on – well, shoot, between Kafka and Bruce and Tui, who else is in there? There’s a few good ones. All kinds of good former quarterbacks up there.”
Brunell played 17 NFL seasons with five teams and his arm still looked pretty sharp during position drills Tuesday, when I watched him demonstrate an accuracy drill by throwing a ball on his second try from the 10-yard line through a hoop about 8 feet in the air on the sideline in the middle of the end zone.
Goff hit the target on what I think was his fourth try, when the hoop moved to the back of the end zone, and I didn’t see Bridgewater or Altmyer make it through the ring, though both hit the ring, with Bridgewater doing so on multiple occasions.
Quick hits
A couple final notes:
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions camp observations: Dan Skipper a peacemaker, defense dominates
Reporting by Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
