Coach Dan Campbell praise on wide receiver Jameson Williams growth
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell during pre-practice press conference at training facility in Allen Park, Michigan on July 31, 2026.
Here are some observations from Day 6 of Lions training camp in Allen Park on Tuesday.
▶ I have continued to be impressed by the progress of second-year wide receiver Dominic Lovett in this camp. That was also the case last year — as fans were clamoring for news about Isaac TeSlaa, it was Lovett who was making plays in camp through the first few practices — but after getting hurt during the preseason, he missed time and lost all the momentum. While he still ended up playing in 12 games, he only had 14 snaps on offense throughout the season. With the addition of wide receiver Kendrick Law (Kentucky) in the draft, it was fair to wonder if there was going to be a place for Lovett on the 53-man roster.
But Law’s season-ending injury has opened the door for another receiver to take the No. 5 spot in Detroit’s room, and Lovett has taken full advantage of that opportunity. Lovett was a standout in one-on-one drills, team drills and special teams on Tuesday.
During one-on-ones, Lovett beat rookie corner Keith Abney on a route over the middle, then hit him with a double move for another reception. During a kick-return drill, he looked fast and fluid with the ball in his hands, weaving through defenders better than most. In team periods, he had the longest catch of camp thus far, hauling in a bomb from quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (it should be noted defensive lineman Tyler Lacy probably would have had a sack on the play, but since it was practice, Bridgewater uncorked it anyway).
After making the catch against cornerback Roger McCreary, Lovett shook the defender with a hesitation move and sped toward the end zone for a would-be score.
“Consistency, knowing more in depth about the playbook, and really, just trying to fine-tune some details, whether it be routes or blocking,” Lovett said when asked where he’s taken the biggest strides since last year. “Really just like my overall detail of the game.”
▶ In the absence of Jahmyr Gibbs, the running back competition has been captivating. All of the available rushers have brought their A-game to the first few days of padded practices. While the defense has made more than its fair share of plays — Lions coach Dan Campbell even noted how well the defensive line got off the ball the day prior — Detroit’s rushers have done well with the opportunities they’ve had.
After a marvelous outing Monday, Jacob Saylors was once again a standout performer Tuesday, delivering a run of 15 yards amid several other productive carries. Jabari Small, a second-year back out of Tennessee, ripped off a gain of about 15 to 20 yards on his first carry of the day. Moments later, Kye Robichaux had a run that went for 10-plus yards. And then there’s Isiah Pacheco, who showed off his grown-man strength and active feet by picking up 7 yards on a run where half the team was trying to bring him down.
While none of these guys are going to outshine Gibbs any time soon, the Lions appear to be building one heck of a reserve list in that room.
“Guys are going to get a pretty good look here,” Campbell said.
▶ There was some good and some bad for cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. in one-on-one drills, during which he was lined up against wide receiver Jameson Williams. He punched the ball out of Williams’ hands after allowing a catch on their first rep, but on their second rep, Williams crossed him up at the line of scrimmage a la Allen Iverson, causing Rakestraw to hit the ground before Williams even departed on his route.
“It’s football, it’s gonna happen,” Rakestraw said of his slip at the line. “Next play.”
Rakestraw said he’s benefited from going against receivers like Williams and All-Pro Amon-Ra St. Brown in practice.
“It helps me out a lot, because … in a game, you’re not gonna win every rep, but you’re not gonna lose every rep, either,” Rakestraw said. “It’s a lot of competing for the ball.”
▶ Wide receiver Greg Dortch, a free-agent addition this past offseason, also looks like he’s in midseason form. He had the best win of the one-on-one drills on Tuesday, putting a nasty double move on cornerback Christian Izien that wowed the crowd and later beating safety Avonte Maddox on a route. Dortch has also made quite a few catches during team periods while primarily working with the second team.
▶ Christian Mahogany was once again the primary left guard on the first team, but was briefly swapped out for Juice Scruggs during a team period toward the start of practice. Mahogany appears to be the clear front-runner until we see how the team deploys Ben Bartch, another free-agent add, once the Lions ramp up his involvement.
▶ Quarterback Jared Goff had some uncharacteristic misfires throughout the period, including during a situational drill to close practice, which we’ll elaborate on in a second. But he also had some throws that were vintage Goff. During a completion to Williams in 11-on-11, Goff delivered a ball that just sailed over the outstretched fingers of linebacker Jack Campbell and between at least two more defenders before finding Williams for a completion of about 25 yards.
▶ Lacy continued his excellent camp on Tuesday. In addition to the would-be sack on Bridgewater, he was also in the backfield on his first team rep of the day and later appeared to make a tackle-for-loss (or for no gain, it was hard to tell from our angle) alongside linebacker Derrick Barnes. Less than a year after being cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars, he looks like he has potential to be a big-time player for this team.
▶ Defensive tackle Alim McNeill rebounded nicely from a tough day Monday, which included two losses to left guard Christian Mahogany in one-on-one drills. During the first full-team period of the day, McNeill made tackles-for-loss on consecutive plays.
▶ McCreary was thought of as one of the front-runners for the starting nickel cornerback job entering camp, but he hasn’t made many positive plays on the football through the first week and has since been mostly relegated to the second-team defense following the return of Izien, who now appears to be the leader in the clubhouse for the job.
▶ Defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike, who’s back in Detroit after a knee injury cost him his entire 2025 season, has mostly been splitting his time between the second and third teams this camp. Originally thought of as a potential impact performer for the Lions’ defense this fall, we’re starting to wonder if he’s going to have a role at all. Onwuzurike had a tackle-for-loss after the Lions’ second- and third-team offense had successful runs on four straight plays, but generally speaking, Onwuzurike has been minimally involved in the action.
▶ Jake Bates hasn’t always been the most accurate kicker in training camp over his career, but on Tuesday, he was hotter than a leather seat on a summer afternoon. He went 8-for-8 in the practice altogether, going perfect in situational drills from 41 and 48 yards. In his first drill of the day, he made kicks from 39, 46 and 51 yards. In his second three-pack of attempts, he made kicks from 44, 51 and 59 yards, with the last two going right down Broadway.
▶ Linebacker Trevor Nowaske, a Canton native and Saginaw Valley State alum, has been a standout on the second-team defense. He made two really nice plays in one period Tuesday, stepping up to make a stop for a loss on a swing pass and coming up with a sack of Bridgewater a few plays later.
▶ The Lions’ first-team offense has been pretty good in situational drills, but the defense got a big stop in an end-of-game sequence on Tuesday. The offense took over at its own 25-yard line, down 30-27, and 34 seconds remaining.
The drive started hot, with Goff hitting St. Brown for a 13-yard completion. Then McNeill disrupted the next play, and Goff misfired to St. Brown on second-and-10. D.J. Reed was in the area for a third-down incompletion, and Williams dropped a pass while working against Nick Whiteside down the sideline to end the drill with a turnover on downs.
▶ The second-team offense took over at its own 35-yard line with 0:47 to go, down 28-27, needing just a field goal to win. Tight end Jackson Meeks made three straight catches to get the team into field-goal range, allowing Bates to hit the winner from 40 yards out.
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