Observations: Lions Offense Starting to Be Concerning

The Detroit Lions switched some things up on Monday, shifting from morning to evening practice.

With an emphasis on red-zone and short-yardage situations, there was an uptick in physicality even from recent sessions, which have all had plenty of intensity. There were several bumps and bruises, and three players left early to be evaluated for injuries.

Ultimately, fifth-year coach Dan Campbell was excited about the opportunity to watch the coordinators match wits in unpredictable short-yardage and goal line scenarios.

“It’s going to be a good chance to get out as the sun is going down, compete a little bit, short yards, goal line, some backed up and then just let them play," Campbell said. "Call it for the coordinators, spot it where it lies and make the call. So, pretty excited about today. This will be great for us.”

Here are observations and takeaways from the Lions' 10th training camp practice.

Participation report

The Lions were once again without cornerback Terrion Arnold, who is still dealing with a low-grade hamstring injury. Ennis Rakestraw was also out, and Campbell offered a grim outlook on his future by saying he expects the second-year cornerback to be out for "a while."

Detroit had three players exit practice early. Dominic Lovett (abdominal), Pat O'Connor (leg) and Jamarco Jones (ankle) were all being evaluated for injuries at the conclusion of practice after leaving the session early.

Kenny Yeboah returned after missing Sunday for personal reasons, while defensive lineman Brodric Martin was absent for undisclosed reasons.

Strong start by defense

In early 1-on-1s for the offensive and defensive linemen, it was the defense who took the early advantage. Aidan Hutchinson pushed back Penei Sewell, then Marcus Davenport knocked the helmet off of Jamarco Jones. Al-Quadin Muhammad also got the best of Mason Miller.

Giovanni Manu struggled, as he was beat on two separate reps. Pat O'Connor got him the first time, then Mitchell Agude was able to beat him. Hutchinson won a second rep later, when he used his spin to beat Jones.

The skill position 1-on-1s also saw the defense have some success. D.J. Reed forced an incompletion intended for Kailf Raymond, while Brian Branch was in tight coverage on an overthrow in the direction of Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Standouts for the offense included Tom Kennedy, who brought in three straight wins including a deep connection with Hendon Hooker to end individual drills.

Deep connection

The Lions were able to get a deep connection between Goff and Raymond to kickstart the first-team offense in an early period. The pair connected on a long toss with Morice Norris in coverage.

Hendon Hooker was in with the second-team on Monday ahead of what will be his start on Friday. He threw incomplete intended for Kenny Yeboah on his first attempt, but finished with two straight completions, one to Shane Zylstra and the other to Yeboah.

Offensive line shuffling

With Decker still limited, Skipper out and Jones leaving early, the Lions were forced to shuffle around the offensive lines. Giovanni Manu was bumped up for some first-team action, alongside Christian Mahogany at left guard, Graham Glasgow at center, Tate Ratledge at right guard and Penei Sewell at right tackle.

Manu gave up a sack during the team period, as Marcus Davenport beat him off the line of scrimmage and generated heavy pressure.

The second-team offensive line featured Mason Miller and Justin Herron at tackle, Kayode Awosika and Netane Muti at guards and Kingsley Eguakun at center. Miller and Herron were also taking some third-team reps due to the lack of depth amidst the injuries, with Colby Sorsdal also kicking out to tackle for some snaps after he's been exclusively at guard.

Defense dominates short-yardage

The Lions ran seven total third-and-1 reps, all of which were run plays. Defense dominated the drill, winning five of the reps. Rookie Tyleik Williams headlined the series, getting two stops. He was helped by Zach Cunningham and undrafted free agent Keith Cooper, who each had a stop of their own.

Williams is every bit the run defender that he was billed to be entering the draft, showing excellent lateral movement to plug gaps. This was on full display in the third-and-short run game.

After working some third-and-short runs, the Lions turned their attention to the red-zone for some work. Aidan Hutchinson stuffed an early David Montgomery run for no gain.

With the second-team, Craig Reynolds scored a touchdown and Hooker connected with Sam LaPorta on a pass over the middle. Hooker appeared to hold onto the ball for just a tick too long, as LaPorta caught the pass and took a big hit from Grant Stuard.

Teslaa springs touchdown

When the Lions traded up to draft Arkansas wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa, one of the traits that Brad Holmes said stuck out was his willingness to block. On Monday, he showed a prime example of why the Lions coveted him.

TeSlaa delivered a violent block on cornerback Nick Whiteside on a pass to Tom Kennedy, paving the way for Kennedy to cross the goal line after a short pass from Hendon Hooker. The big block ignited his teammates.

The rookie has begun to get some action with the first-team offense, which is intriguing. Tim Patrick hasn't had the best start to camp by his own personal standards, and TeSlaa continues to impress.

Montgomery bounces back after injury scare

Though the offense sputtered for most of the evening, there was some excitement late in the practice session. Wide receiver Jameson Williams had a chunk play on an end-around, while David Montgomery capped off a drive with a touchdown run.

Montgomery's run came as a sigh of relief for the offense, as he had previously spent some time on the sideline with trainers after taking a big hit from Derrick Barnes.

Later in team drills, running back Jacob Saylors had an impressive series capped off by a touchdown run.

Situational drills

The first-team offense took the field in a situational drill trailing 24-20 in the fourth quarter. Detroit's offense was looking to take the lead, but ultimately were unable to do so.

Goff threw an incompletion on second-and-4, setting up a key third-down. He tried going deep in the direction of Kalif Raymond, but D.J. Reed was in good position and forced the incompletion. On fourth-down, Goff threw a wobbly interception to Amik Robertson.

Quick hitters

1.) The Lions had multiple injured players, including Alim McNeill and Mekhi Wingo, spotted on the sidelines observing practice.

2.) Lions team owner Sheila Hamp was also present, as was former safety Glover Quin.

3.) Veteran cornerbacks Avonte Maddox and Rock Ya-Sin each had pass breakups, including Maddox forcing an incompletion on a deep pass intended for Amon-Ra St. Brown.

4.) Sione Vaki showed off some speed on Monday, and appears to be ready to play if called upon after dealing with a hamstring injury early in training camp.

5.) After practice, defensive back Amik Robertson told reporters that he enjoys watching romantic movies, and that 'The Notebook' is his favorite.