Detroit Lions training camp isn\u2019t over, but the team is starting to shift into preseason mode. Before we start previewing the exhibition opener on Thursday, let\u2019s take inventory of the biggest winners and losers from the first two weeks of training camp.<\/p>\n
Whiteside, in my opinion, has been the story of training camp. After starting with the second and third teams, Whiteside just kept making play after play to the point where Dan Campbell could no longer ignore him. He\u2019s since climbed the depth chart and has been getting first-team reps for nearly a week while D.J. Reed has been sidelined with an injury. It feels like he\u2019s now comfortably above the roster bubble after starting camp as a relative long shot.<\/p>\n
If Whiteside is the biggest story of training camp, Hassanein isn\u2019t far behind. Thus far, he has proved that he is far more than just a good origin story and a high-energy player. He\u2019s consistently making plays on a daily basis both on special teams and against the second-team offense. At this point, I think he\u2019s the unquestioned backup to Tyler Lacy at the big defensive end position, and is firmly off the roster bubble.<\/p>\n
McNeill\u2019s 2025 season was certainly a disappointment. Though expectations were relatively low coming off a torn ACL, there was certainly hope he would be back to normal by the end of the year. He wasn\u2019t, but the 2026 version of McNeill suddenly looks more like what we\u2019re accustomed to seeing. His explosiveness is back, and his strength never really left. He could be in for a big year if he stays healthy.<\/p>\n
Fans were understandably concerned about the safety position following the news that Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph were at risk of missing the start of the season. However, Chuck Clark should ease some of those concerns. In the spring, coaches praised Clark\u2019s knowledge and ability to communicate at a high level. In camp, he\u2019s followed that up with disciplined play, great instincts on the field, and an aggressive mindset in the run game. He\u2019s looking like one of the Lions\u2019 best offseason additions so far.<\/p>\n
Ya-Sin has done a pretty darn good job quelling one of Lions fans\u2019 other big concerns: the outside cornerback position. The loss of Terrion Arnold was a gut punch and a big loss in terms of potential of that room, but Ya-Sin has come in, assumed a starting role, and gone toe-to-toe with every single one of the Lions\u2019 starting talented receivers.<\/p>\n
Certainly, there is still some concern about the outside cornerback depth, but things have been going pretty well with Reed and Ya-Sin in the starting lineup this camp.<\/p>\n
Altmyer has a real chance to win the backup quarterback job following the retirement of Teddy Bridgewater, but the truth of the matter is the undrafted rookie quarterback was already making a pretty strong impression before that news broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did some really good things,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cHe was put in some really tough positions for a young player that you absolutely have to be put in, you just do. You\u2019ve got to be thrust in it and really you need to fail, you need to make mistakes so that you can grow. And we thought he handled it really well, we did.\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been impressed with Altmyer\u2019s poise during situational drills, his relative accuracy, and his arm strength. He still needs to speed up his progressions, but that\u2019s to be expected of someone this young.<\/p>\n
The Lions have a legitimate RB4 competition between Small and Jacob Saylors. That alone is saying a lot because this team really likes Saylors as a special teamer. But Small has been shifty, strong on special teams, and he\u2019s been tough. He\u2019s clearly been battling through some knee discomfort for the past few practices, but has shown his grit by practicing through it. I wasn\u2019t sure how close he was to really competing for a spot with Saylors, but Campbell all but confirmed he\u2019s thoroughly in the mix.<\/p>\n
\u201cSmall\u2019s having a good camp,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cI mean, I feel like those two guys are just jockeying with each other right now. One guy\u2019s a little bit ahead. The next day, the other guy\u2019s a little bit ahead. And I love where they\u2019re at on special teams because that\u2019ll be big for both of those players<\/p>\n
The entire linebacking corps<\/p>\n
Be it some early big plays from Derrick Barnes and Damone Clark, or the late addition of Devin White, the Lions\u2019 linebacking corps has been all over the place early. The entire crew has been impressive in how fast and downhill they play, and I\u2019ve been surprised by how decent they\u2019ve been in coverage during team drills\u2014slowing down the likes of Sam LaPorta early in camp. Even undrafted rookie Erick Hunter is really starting to come on as of late.<\/p>\n
While Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez still have a lot to prove, I do like the depth that this room has to offer. Clark, White, Joe Bachie have all splashed on defense, and even a guy like Troy Reeder could help on special teams.<\/p>\n
Giovanni Manu seemed like 2026 was going to be the last year to make an impression with the coaching staff and justify a spot on this roster moving forward. Unfortunately for him, he made the complete wrong impression by failing to report an offseason injury and promptly being stashed away on the Non-Football Injury list indefinitely.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not panicking about TeSlaa\u2019s slow start to camp, and I don\u2019t think you should either. But I\u2019m also not going to ignore the fact that the second-year receiver has struggled, both in one-on-one drills and team sessions. He\u2019s particularly been ineffective against press coverage, failing to use both his size and length to create separation.<\/p>\n
His hands are still impeccable, but I was hoping to see a little more progress in his releases by now.<\/p>\n
Turner arrived in Detroit hopeful to shake the injury prone label and finally live up to his draft status as a former first-round pick. Instead, he practiced once, tweaked his back, and hasn\u2019t practiced again. With the rise of Hassanein and the imminent return of rookie Derrick Moore, it\u2019s hard to imagine Turner returning in time to win a roster spot.<\/p>\n
Rakestraw has certainly had an up-and-down camp, and I\u2019m not ready to put his roster spot in jeopardy, but the fact remains that he has been jumped in the depth chart by Whiteside. Rakestraw could find new life after entering the competition for the nickel job, but Dan Campbell said it himself: he needs to start stringing some good days together.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s had some ups and downs. He needs to string a few days together here of some good stuff, but he can do that and he\u2019s gifted,\u201d Campbell said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Detroit Lions training camp isn\u2019t over, but the team is starting to shift into preseason mode. Before we…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":811546,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[2131,2130,349,99],"class_list":["post-811545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-detroit-lions-analysis","tag-detroit-lions-training-camp","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/811545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=811545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/811545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/811546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=811545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=811545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=811545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}