Monday, July 22, 2024

Lions Links for Monday Evening 7-22-24

Articles:


Lions add veteran offensive lineman Ike Boettger to roster before start of training camp:  https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2024/07/22/detroit-lions-add-offensive-lineman-ike-boettger-to-roster/74504195007/

Top five Lions to watch in training camp, and several others to keep an eye on:  https://www.audacy.com/971theticket/sports/detroit-lions/top-five-detroit-lions-to-watch-in-training-camp

NFC North watch: Packers QB Jordan Love not practicing without new contract:  https://lionswire.usatoday.com/2024/07/22/nfc-north-lions-packers-jordan-love-contract-holdout/


Full list of joint practices around NFL training camp, including the Lions:  https://lionswire.usatoday.com/lists/full-list-of-joint-practices-around-nfl-training-camp-including-the-lions/

Hutchinson Pictures Honolulu Blue Confetti Falling, Doing Snow Angels:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/hutchinson-pictures-super-bowl-reaction

5 Reasons for Worry Ahead of Lions' 2024 Season:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/reasons-for-worry-lions-2024-season

How Jared Goff Is Impacting Jordan Love Practice Holdout:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/jared-goff-impacting-jordan-love-practice-holdout

Lions Best Team in NFL in Latest Power Rankings:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/lions-best-team-nfl-power-rankings-july-2024

Detroit Lions 2024 Training Camp Primer:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/lions-2024-training-camp-primer

Lions' 2024 Pre-Training Camp Offensive Depth Chart:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/lions-2024-pre-training-camp-offensive-depth-chart




One move every NFC team should make before training camp (DETROIT LIONS: ACQUIRE OUTSIDE WIDE RECEIVER HELP - The Lions were the breakout team of 2023, reaching the NFC Championship game before falling to the San Francisco 49ers in dramatic fashion. They’ll be back in 2024, courtesy of excellent coaching and one of the best rosters in the NFL, but they could still use some extra help at receiver.  While Amon-Ra St. Brown has emerged as one of the league's best receivers over the past two seasons, the Lions are still hoping Jameson Williams can live up to his draft billing. He caught 24 passes for 354 yards and two touchdowns in 2023 but has yet to really put the pieces together.  Donovan Peoples-Jones and Kalif Raymond can be tertiary contributors, and Sam LaPorta will see his fair share of targets. Still, Detroit needs a true outside receiver. The free-agent market doesn’t offer much in that archetype, but could the Lions be a potential landing spot for Brandon Aiyuk, Tee Higgins or Davante Adams?):  https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-one-move-every-nfc-team-should-make-training-camp-2024

NFL training camp 2024: One player to watch for every team (DETROIT LIONS: CB ENNIS RAKESTRAW JR. - After ending 2023 with a 30th-ranked team coverage grade, the Lions immediately overhauled their secondary. General manager Brad Holmes acquired Carlton Davis and Amik Robertson and then double-dipped in the draft by selecting Alabama’s Terrion Arnold and Missouri’s Rakestraw.  While the elite Arnold seems to have a clear path as a starter on the outside, things are more unclear for Rakestraw. Given that the Lions already have Brian Branch as the presumed starting slot, Rakestraw might be relegated to nickel duties in sub-packages. However, Rakestraw’s skill set — exemplified by an 89.0 run-defense grade and a 78.7 coverage grade last year — indicates that he should earn playing time.  Head coach Dan Campbell might have a surplus of talented cornerbacks, but expect Rakestraw to make some plays and shoulder plenty of snaps in Allen Park.):  https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-training-camp-2024-one-player-to-watch-every-team

NFL training camp: Most intriguing position battles to track in 2024 (16.  Detroit Lions - SECONDARY:  Detroit made big investments in the secondary this offseason. How will playing time shake out? Trade acquisition Carlton Davis is set at one corner spot. Other jobs look to be up for grabs. Everything seems to revolve around Brian Branch and how he's utilized. If he's at safety next to Kerby Joseph, that opens up slot reps for Amik Robertson, with first-rounder Terrion Arnold on the outside. If Branch continues to take a sizable amount of nickel snaps, then we likely will see Arnold and Robertson battle for the outside corner gig in camp. Ennis Rakestraw Jr. profiles as a rotational piece who would see his role grow if/when injury strikes. The other question is, what role does Emmanuel Moseley play when healthy?):  https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-training-camp-most-intriguing-position-battles-to-track-in-2024

2024 NFL season: No. 1 challenge facing each team (Detroit Lions? 2023 record: 12-5.  Biggest challenge: Fixing the secondary.  The Lions’ Super Bowl window is officially open. The hope is the defense, namely the secondary, isn’t the reason it slams shut this season. Gone are Cameron Sutton, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Jerry Jacobs, Tracy Walker III and Will Harris. Enter veterans Carlton Davis and Amik Robertson, along with first-round pick Terrion Arnold and second-rounder Ennis Rakestraw Jr. The Lions also added to the defensive front, which theoretically should help the back end. But there’s no question that if Aaron Glenn’s D is going to get better, it will require some of those new DBs -- including at least one rookie -- stepping up in a big way. There’s an emerging core in place with Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph and Ifeatu Melifonwu, but the Lions must cut way back on allowing chunk plays. They gave up a league-worst 69 passes of 20-plus yards last season.):  https://www.nfl.com/news/2024-nfl-season-no-1-challenge-facing-each-team

2024 NFL Preseason All-Rookie Team: Top picks headline (Boundary cornerbacks: Quinyon Mitchell, Eagles and Terrion Arnold, Lions - Chalk here. Mitchell and Arnold were my favorite cornerbacks in the 2024 class. They have it all. Mitchell has All-Pro upside. Arnold will be a steady pro for the next decade in Detroit. Man, zone, tackling, blitzing, ball skills.):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2024-nfl-preseason-all-rookie-team-browns-seahawks-represented-at-dt-eagles-raiders-with-2-first-teamers/

Ranking most favorable QB setups of 2024 NFL season (1. Detroit Lions - QB: Jared Goff.  Top playmakers: David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta.  Top blockers: Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow, Penei Sewell.  Top coaches: Ben Johnson (offense), Aaron Glenn (defense).  Like Purdy in San Francisco, Goff is a definite part of his club's title contention; he's more than proven his mettle going from Rams castoff to gutsy leader for a resurgent franchise. Still, it might be more accurate to call him the current figurehead of the NFL's most balanced offensive attack. Montgomery and Gibbs are a thunder-and-lightning combo behind arguably the league's best line, St. Brown is an elite chain-mover, and LaPorta is just getting started as another safety valve. Throw in Johnson and Dan Campbell, who refuse to dial down their aggression as decision-makers, and it's no wonder the new Lions seem here to stay.):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/top-10-qb-setups-entering-2024-season-these-nfl-teams-are-doing-the-most-to-support-their-signal-callers/

Predicting the 2024 NFL First-Time All-Pros (TIght end: Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions - LaPorta could very well be the best tight end in the league this season. Already an elite player, he’s surging as one of the young guns looking to replace the old guard of Travisk Kelce and George Kittle. As a rookie, LaPorta had 86 receptions for 889 yards and 10 scores.  Left guard: Kevin Zeitler, Detroit Lions - Who says you can’t get better with age? Zeitler might be entering his age-34 season, but he is coming off his first Pro Bowl campaign after starring with the Baltimore Ravens. Now on another one of the NFL’s best teams, he’ll have plenty of exposure while playing alongside left tackle Taylor Decker and center Frank Ragnow.Defensive ends: Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions; Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals.  Detroit Lions edge Aidan Hutchinson - Hutchinson has 21 sacks in his first two NFL seasons. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
After posting 21 sacks across his first two seasons, Hutchinson is close to being recognized as one of the league’s best. That’s a mantle Hendrickson should have earned a long time ago, having totaled 39.5 sacks across three years with the Bengals, earning Pro Bowl status each season but no All-Pro accolades.  Defensive tackles: Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles; Alim McNeill, Detroit Lions - As a rookie, Carter destroyed interior offensive lines across the league, notching six sacks and nine quarterback hits while being voted second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. As for McNeill, he’s become one of the league’s most disruptive inside forces, with five sacks and six tackles for loss in 2023.):  https://www.si.com/nfl/predicting-2024-nfl-first-time-all-pros




1 Player Most Likely To Improve on All 32 Teams This NFL Season: Kyle Pitts, Jameson Williams Could Finally Live up to the Hype (Detroit Lions: Jameson Williams - As Jameson Williams heads into his third season in the NFL, it’s time for the former first-round pick to step up. The Detroit Lions have managed to find success despite Williams’ underwhelming level of play, but the team will be relying on him more in 2024. He is projected as Detroit’s WR2 and should improve after a disappointing start to his career.):  https://www.profootballnetwork.com/player-most-likely-improve-32-teams-nfl/

1 Player Who Needs a Change of Scenery on All 32 NFL Teams: Dak Prescott, Davante Adams, and Others (Detroit Lions: Levi Onwuzurike, DT - Levi Onwuzurike is a 2021 second-round pick who has since been outplayed and replaced by third-round star Alim McNeill and DJ Reader. He may not be the kind of high-upside player Detroit envisioned, but a change of scenery could do wonders here.):  https://www.profootballnetwork.com/1-player-who-needs-a-change-of-scenery-on-all-32-nfl-teams/

2024 NFL Offseason Refresher: Revisiting Every Team’s Notable Free Agent Signings and Trade Acquisitions, From Kirk Cousins to Stefon Diggs (Detroit Lions - Notable Offseason Acquisitions: Kevin Zeitler, Marcus Davenport, Carlton Davis III.  Detroit was already extremely talented on offense, and then it added a top guard in Zeitler this offseason. Marcus Davenport and Carlton Davis III should be able to help improve the 19th-ranked defense in yards allowed per game.):  https://www.profootballnetwork.com/2024-nfl-offseason-refresher-free-agent-signings-trade-acquisitions/

10 NFL Training Camp Trades: Steelers Grab Brandon Aiyuk, Dolphins Boost Pass Rush, Packers Acquire a Backup QB (Lions Grab Darius Slayton From Giants - Lions acquire: WR Darius Slayton.  Giants acquire: 2025 sixth-round pick.  It’s almost baffling that Detroit didn’t add a receiver in free agency or the draft, especially after losing Josh Reynolds, who played the second-most snaps among Lions WRs in 2023. The Lions have plenty of weapons in RB Jahmyr Gibbs, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, and TE Sam LaPorta, but the club is counting on a Jameson Williams breakout.  Darius Slayton would be an upgrade over Kalif Raymond at Detroit’s other outside WR spot. He’s spent most of his career on the perimeter, which would allow St. Brown to stay in the slot in 11 personnel. He’s hardly a star, but Slayton has posted 700 receiving yards in four of his five NFL seasons.  New York might be willing to trade Slayton after using the sixth overall pick on WR Malik Nabers in April. While Big Blue placated Slayton by adding new incentives to his contract in May, moving him would open new opportunities for younger receivers like Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt.):  https://www.profootballnetwork.com/10-nfl-training-camp-trades-2024/

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Posted by LionsFan at 7:34 PM

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