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The Detroit Lions, like every NFL team, will begin Organized Team Activities (OTAs) this week. Lions OTAs begin on Tuesday and run through Thursday this week, then Wednesday through Friday the following week before mandatory minicamp arrives in early June.
Unlike the offseason workouts of the past month, OTAs allow for offense vs. defense drills—giving teams the first opportunity to start real competitive drills in practice. Live contact is still not allowed—and won’t be until training camp—but there will be plenty to learn and observe regarding this team.
Expectations for the Lions are sky-high this year, and that means there is significantly more hype for OTAs than in previous years. So we’re going to be heavy on both the preview and review content over the next month.
Let’s kick things off with a Question of the Day to prime the week:
Which Lions positional group is most interesting for OTAs?
My answer: It has to be the Lions' secondary. Detroit did the most work at that position this offseason, so I’m extremely eager to see how those investments are going to pay off. Is Cameron Sutton capable of locking down WR1s? How close is Emmanuel Moseley to practicing? How good is C.J. Gardner-Johnson and will he mostly play at nickel cornerback?
And pushing into the safety room remains fascinating, too. Will Tracy Walker be a full go, despite suffering a torn Achilles last September? Can Kerby Joseph build upon a strong rookie year? And can rookie Brian Branch work his way into some first-team subpackages?
Even the depth provides some interesting questions. Where do the Lions think Will Harris fits best? Can Ifeatu Melifonwu find a positional home or is he on his way out? And can UDFA Starling Thomas V parlay an impressive athletic profile into a spot on the 53-man roster?
The Lions secondary is both the position with the biggest question mark and—potentially—the biggest reason for optimism regarding defensive improvement. I can’t wait to see how things look later this week when they take the field.
Your turn.
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