Observations from Detroit Lions training camp full scrimmage

On Day 14 of 2026 training camp, the Detroit Lions held their annual “night practice,” where they ran a full-squad scrimmage. The team splits in half, with the first-team offense pairing with the second- and third-team defense, while the defensive starters pair with the offensive reserves. It’s a fun, fast-paced practice with a lot of information to absorb, but fortunately, because this happened to fall on the same day we held our Pride of Detroit podcast from Allen Park, I had some help: Jeremy Reisman, Ryan Mathews, Meko Scott, and Al Karsten were all in attendance.

The Lions were careful to limit practice time for several players in this scrimmage, not wanting to re-aggravate anyone dealing with a soft tissue injury from the past week. As a result, current starting center Juice Scruggs only played in the first half and was replaced by Seth McLaughlin. We already have a full injury recap on the website with more detail, including good news about Jameson Williams‘ “little shoulder” injury.

In total, over four nine-minute quarters, the Lions ran 15 drives, mainly matching starters vs. starters (1 vs. 1) and reserves vs. reserves (2 vs. 2), and we’ll provide highlights from each drive in our observations:

Drive 1: 1 vs. 1 — Rough start for the offense

The Lions offense got off to a very slow start, opening practice with a botched snap exchange (Scruggs at center). On the second play, pressure from Alim McNeill forced a tougher throw, and D.J. Reed was tight in coverage, forcing a pass breakup. Facing third and long, Jared Goff connected with Sam LaPorta, but it fell short of the sticks, and the offense was forced to punt (simulated).

Drive 2: 2 vs. 2 — Ennis Rakestraw shines

On the first play for the reserves, they elected to kick things off with a run, but Ennis Rakestraw crashed from his corner position and made a quick stop after just two yards. Another run on second down saw Rakestraw crash again, this time getting into the backfield for a tackle for a two-yard loss. On third down, facing third-and-10, quarterback Luke Altmyer got caught on his heels a bit after a Christian Izien blitz (there was a lot of blitzing from defensive backs in this scrimmage) and sailed a pass over Tay Martin. Another three-and-out and simulated punt.

Drive 3: 1 vs. 1 — McNeill is a problem

Rookie nickel Keith Abney blitzed to kick off the third drive, but Jahmyr Gibbs did a nice job picking it up and allowing Goff to hit Brock Wright on a crosser, gaining around four yards. Gibbs was rewarded with a carry on the next snap, but pressure from McNeill and Levi Onwuzurike limited the back to just a yard. Goff misses Amon-Ra St.Brown on third down, and the offense is quickly off the field again.

Drive 4: 2 vs. 2 — Rakestraw interception

Altmyer opened drive four with another overthrow after another blitz from a defensive back, this time from Rakestraw, who may have tipped the ball and altered its trajectory. The offense goes back to the ground on second down, but Onwuzurike showed off his power and shed McLaughlin and made the stop in the hole for no gain. Facing another third-and-long, Altmyer forced a pass over the middle, but Rakestraw (and Izien) were able to jump the pass and came away with an interception.

Drive 5: 1 vs. 1 — Fourth down stop

The starters open this drive with a Gibbs run, but backside pursuit from McNeill and frontside pressure from Tyleik Williams eliminated running lanes, with Williams getting the stop at the line. The offense swapped Gibbs for Vaki and tried to catch the defense off guard with another run, but it was also stopped in its tracks. On third down, pressure up the middle from Skyler Gill-Howard may have resulted in another sack, but coaches let the play go on, with Goff connecting with St. Brown for a moderate gain. On fourth down (and three yards), the offense stayed on the field; Goff targeted LaPorta, but safety Thomas Harper was tight in coverage and forced an incompletion, possibly getting credit for a PBU.

Drive 6: 2 vs. 2 — Chuck Clark interception

The reserves opened the drive with a Jacob Saylors run to the right, following a duo block from Mason Miller and Colby Sorsdal, where Sorsdal climbed to the linebacker, leading to a seven-yard gain for Saylors. They run it again on second down, but Izien set a firm edge, forcing the run back inside for a minimal gain. On third and short, the Lions ran again, this time with Jabari Small, who ran into a brick wall of defenders, but coaches said he got enough to move the chains—the first time this had happened so far in practice.

With a fresh set of downs, Altmyer dropped back to throw, but pressure from Trevor Nowaske resulted in a sack and loss of six yards. Altmyer got a lot of those yards back on a quick slant to Malik Cunningham, taking advantage of off-coverage and gaining 12 yards. Looking to convert another first down, Altmyer targets Dominic Lovett, but overshot him, and Chuck Clark was in waiting for an easy interception.

Drive 7: 1 vs. 1 — Tom Kennedy touchdown

After a dismal start, the offense finally strung some plays together to sustain a drive. A short Gibbs run resulted in just two yards, followed by an incompletion (targeting St. Brown with Jack Campbell in coverage), setting up third-and-long, but a cleverly executed run play resulted in a big gain. On the play, both Tate Ratledge and Blake Miller pulled, overloading the run path and carving out a large hole for Gibbs to sprint through, resulting in a 21-yard run for the first team offense—and their first first-down conversion of practice.

Now in the red zone, a defensive penalty on first down gave the Lions offense a first-and-five to continue the drive, and Goff took advantage with a quick slant to St. Brown for another first down. Vaki bounced a run to the right, but a crashing Khalil Dorsey saved a touchdown and kept it to a four-yard gain. Another bad snap from Scruggs pushed the offense back a couple of yards, but they didn’t let that hinder them, and on third down, Goff hit Tom Kennedy on a quick slant (a bit of a pick play with St. Brown) for a touchdown.

Starting offense (and reserve defense) is up 7-0.

Drive 8: 2/3 vs. 2/3 — Ahmed Hassanein sacks

The Lions went a little deeper into their bench for this drive, and Dobbs took over for Altmyer for his only drive of practice. Pressure from the edge forced Dobbs into a jump throw that Joe Bachie undercut and got his hands on the pass for the breakup. Inside pressure from Ahmed Hassanein (who lined up over the guard) forced Dobbs into a quick pass that gained around eight yards, with Raheem Blackshear converting the first down on a three-yard run on the next play.

Blackshear ran the ball again on first down but was stopped after just a one-yard gain. Defensive tackle Chris Smith wrecked the offense on second down, overpowering Mason Miller for the sack and an eight-yard loss. A defensive penalty made it third-and-13, but Hassanein (now back on the edge) was joined by Anthony Lucas in the backfield, and either could have gotten credit for sacking Dobbs and ending the drive.

Drive 9: 1 vs. 1 — Tyleik Williams clogs the middle

Goff opened this drive with a 12-yard pass to St. Brown, who started to chirp at the defense as the offense’s confidence returned.

On the next first down, Goff had to throw the next pass in the dirt after what looked like a “choice” route from Gibbs put them on opposite pages. A Gibbs run on the next play gained positive yards for the offense, but Williams stuffed the middle of the line and limited the damage to just two yards. A slant from St. Brown gained the offense another five yards, setting up fourth-and-three, and while the offense stayed on the field, they were only trying to get the defense to jump offside and ended up settling for a punt.

Drive 10: 2 vs. 2/3 — Eric O’Neill pick-6

Altmyer was back on the field with the reserves on drive 10, opening with a quick pass to Cunningham, but the converted quarterback dropped the ball when he turned to run, resulting in an incompletion. Altmyer went right back to Cunningham on second down, but Rakestraw was in on the play for another pass breakup. With a third-and-10 from their own 12-yard line, a quick screen was called, but Altmyer couldn’t get the pass over the rushing edge, and rookie Eric O’Neill snatched the ball out of the air and ran it into the end zone for a pick-six.

Starting offense is up 14-0.

Drive 11: 2 vs. 2 — More sacks to end the half

With only minimal time left in the first half, coaches sent the reserves back out on the field. A blitz from Devin White would have resulted in a sack, but coaches let the play run on, and Altmyer checked it down to Small for a nine-yard gain. Defensive lineman Ben Stille overpowered center Michael Niese for a called sack on the next play, taking the teams into the half.

Drive 12: 1 vs. 1 — The offense we’re used to returns

Now in the second half of the scrimmage, the Lions ended Scruggs’ day and inserted Seth McLaughlin into the starting center role.

The offense opened with a Gibbs run for minimal gain, followed by another sack from Devin White. Facing third-and-17, Goff targeted Isaac TeSlaa on a deep post route, where the second-year receiver gained 20 yards and a new set of downs with a terrific catch.

Another Gibbs run to open resulted in a four-yard gain and a St. Brown pancake block that drew a lot of chatter from both benches. Gibbs split out wide on second down, Goff hit him on a quick flare, and Gibbs was so quick he went down to one knee to catch the ball, but he got up and gained a first down before Rock Ya-Sin tackled him.

Now just over midfield, Goff tried to catch the defense with a deep bomb into the end zone that went incomplete. It’s not clear if TeSlaa or Tay Martin were the target (both were in the area), but the defense (specifically Reed) had a lot to say about being tested deep. On second down, Goff hit Tyler Conklin in the flat for no gain after Rakestraw tackled him at the line. Facing another third-and-long, Goff found Kennedy for a 16-yard slant and a first down.

Now, 30 yards from the end zone, Vaki spells for Gibbs, who gains a quick three yards after a Campbell tackle. Vaki runs a sweep right on the next play and gets a barrage of blocks in front of him, allowing him to get the edge and turn it upfield. Avonte Maddox and Vaki collide at the nine-yard line, but Vaki steamrolled the defender on his way to the end zone. Coaches eventually said Maddox did enough to knock Vaki out at the nine-yard line, but this was contested after practice, with each player claiming they won that battle.

On the ensuing plays, the offense stalled; Ya-Sin forced a PBU, Williams pressured up the middle—though McLaughlin did a terrific job re-anchoring after getting beat initially—and a failed screen to St. Brown certainly needed a lot more work on timing. As a result, the offense settled for a field goal.

That put the starting offense up, 17-0.

Drive 13: 2 vs. 2 — Altmyer finds the end zone

With the first team offense chewing up most of the third quarter with a long opening drive, the second team offense needed a sustained drive to stay in this scrimmage.

They opened with a false start (Mason Miller), but Altmyer connected with Cedrick Wilson for a 22-yard gain up the sidelines. A run from Saylors got them three yards, followed by Small getting them another 10 yards on the ground.

The second-team offense opened the fourth quarter with an Altmyer pass to Lovett for six yards, but a sack from O’Neill washed that gain away, setting up third-and-11. Altmyer went back to Lovett again, this time down the seam for a 15-yard gain and getting the offense into the red zone.

Altmyer wasted little time, throwing an end zone fade to Lucky Jackson, who separated and secured a touchdown catch over Dorsey, giving the offensive reserves/starting defense their first score of the scrimmage.

Starting offense up, 17-7.

Drive 14: 1 vs. 1 — LaPorta touchdown

Up 10 points, the starting offense wanted to execute another long drive to chew up more clock.

Goff targeted St. Brown on the sideline to open the drive, but coaches ruled he was out of bounds. The offense sent out their Jumbo formation on second down, but Williams once again caved the middle of the line and secured a tackle-for-loss. On third-and-11, Goff went back to St. Brown on a crosser, gaining 12 yards and the first down.

Vaki opened the next set of downs with a powerful run up the middle for significant yardage, but coaches called a holding penalty on McLaughlin (on McNeill), setting the offense back 10 yards. Gibbs swapped back in and ran the ball through a gapping hole in the B-gap, as McLaughlin and Christian Mahogany opened a huge hole for a 13-yard gain. Goff misses St. Brown on the next play, then connects with TeSlaa on another third down for another 13 yards.

With the offense trying to drain the clock, they ran the ball on first down, but McNeill and Malcolm Rodriguez got in the backfield for a loss of one yard. Vaki got the ball on the next play, but he ran into Campbell and was held to minimal to no gain. On third-and-long, Goff got Derrick Barnes to bite on play action, rolled to his left and hit a wide-open LaPorta in the flat. With 25 yards between him and the end zone, one key block from TeSlaa on Clark kept LaPorta clean all the way for the score.

Starting offense up, 24-7.

Drive 15: 2 vs. 2 — More sacks to end practice

Down three scores with time running out, Altmyer tried to speed up the second-team offense on the final drive of the scrimmage. A quick pass to Thomas Gordan gained them nine yards, then a Lucky Jackson catch got them out to midfield.

A blitz from Roger McCreary resulted in a sack, killing the momentum, and a deep shot from Altmyer to Tarik Black came up empty with tight coverage from Rakestraw. Facing third-and-18, Altmyer needed something deep, but Stille crushed the pocket and registered a sack, putting an end to the scrimmage.

Final: Starting offense wins, 24-7.

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