ALLEN PARK -- Dan Campbell loves to call this time of the offseason the pajama party due to the lack of pads and the limitations of what the Detroit Lions can do football-wise in practice.
Still, Friday’s Organized Team Activity session in Allen Park marked the first time reporters have seen Aidan Hutchinson on the field since his injury against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5 last year.
Hutchinson told reporters last week he was fully cleared for action and had no limitations in his return from a broken fibula and tibia. The star pass rusher was on the field Friday, doing as much as anyone in terms of workload during the practice, which lasted less than two hours.
“He’s moving well. You don’t see him favoring anything. He’s bending, he’s grabbing the grass, he looks confident -- and there again, that’s without pads,” Campbell said Friday. “But I am confident (about the pass rush clicking when the pads go on).
“(Lions edge defender Marcus) Davenport looks good. There again, it’s early for him, too. And we’re not in the physical nature of the game -- we don’t have pads on -- but I like the guys we have in that room. And there again, training camp -- we’ll make it right.”
Hutchinson participated in warmups, individual drills, and team drills, doing everything from working on rushing the passer and setting the edge to dropping in coverage with more focused drills.
He tried to hit a swim move on left tackle Taylor Decker and simulated a bull rush on right tackle Penei Sewell at one point.
And the most important part of what Campbell said that these eyes can verify is that Hutchinson did not look to be favoring anything. He was involved as anyone else was on Friday, and considering the long list of players the Lions are taking it easy with, that’s a great sign.
There was nothing noticeable about how he was moving or practicing. It would have been hard to tell anything ever had happened to him if not for the long black sleeve on his left leg. Hutchinson looked like himself, and whether real football with pads or not, that’s very good news.
“I think as much as I love this offseason stuff. Being able to go back and play Week 1 against the Packers,” Hutchinson said last week. “Packers, Week 1, that’s going to be a hell of a way to start the season. If we could flash-forward, I’d love it.
“But I think there is a beauty in the process that is (the offseason program); you can’t really get in those games when you figure out a certain pass-rush move or a certain step; there is a different kind of joy that comes from that compared to winning a football game.”
_**See below for more observations from Friday’s OTA session:**_
\-- There were a ton of players (20-plus) limited in some capacity or held out of Friday’s practice in Allen Park altogether. On top of that, veterans Frank Ragnow and Alex Anzalone were not present. But Campbell said there is an open line of communication and that he “knows who they are (and) where they are, and we’re all good.”
Among those limited or missing were players recovering from injuries from last season, including linebackers Derrick Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez, cornerback Khalil Dorsey and defensive linemen Mekhi Mingo and Alim McNeill.
Rookies Tyleik Williams, offensive lineman Miles Frazier and wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa were among those limited/out. Williams worked into the early walkthroughs and team drills before taking most of the rest of the day off. TeSlaa was spotted on the side running sprints from sideline to sideline as a staffer watched closely.
Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was not spotted, neither were running backs David Montgomery and Sione Vaki. Tight end Kenny Yeboah was limited, running routes on the side. Other players limited/out were defensive linemen Myles Adams, Brodric Martin, Levi Onwuzurike, DJ Reader, Josh Paschal, and linebacker Jack Campbell, and defensive backs Brian Branch and Terrion Arnold.
Reader was working to the side, not dressed in helmet or jersey. Jack Campbell did as much as possible early on in team drills, saying the Lions are just taking it easy with him after he had a minor surgery on his hip after the season. The linebacker spoke to reporters after practice and said there were no concerns.
Whew, that’s a long list, but I wanted to clarify the participation updates since we only get one more look at the Lions before the break.
“Some of them are so minor. Like the rookies, they’ve been training for the combine, all this. We’re just trying to get some of these guys right physically,” Dan Campbell said. “We’re working with them ... let’s get their bodies right, everything aligned right, and then they’ll be ready for training camp. And a number of guys – we’re just trying to be smart. We’re just trying to be smart.
“We’ve got little dings here and there, and so we’re just trying to make sure everybody’s good. So, this is the time of year to make sure that we’re being a little more conservative with those types of things. And they’re here, they’re in meetings, and so everybody’s locked in.”
\-- As for football observations, there were not a ton of them. It’s early in the process, and the Lions were without some 20 players. However, one thing was clear: the blossoming connection between Jared Goff and Tim Patrick.
The quarterback and wide receiver didn’t get an offseason or training camp together last year. They had to develop that chemistry with live bullets flying, but it looks like the time on task paid off. Goff hit Patrick on a pass for about 20 yards on a post route early in team drills. The quarterback went back to the well in seven-on-sevens, hitting Patrick in traffic for a solid gain over the middle.
Patrick missed two years in a row before landing with the Lions at the start of last season. He took full advantage of St. Brown and TeSlaa’s absence from practice on Friday. And Goff? He looked like Goff -- clean, composed and in charge of the offense.
\-- With Ragnow missing, it was a mix of offensive linemen to snap the ball, with rookie Tate Ratledge getting his fair share of the work with the first team. Other players spotted snapping the ball were Graham Glasgow, Colby Sorsdal (!) and Kingsley Eguakun. Sorsdal has now practiced at every position since coming to Detroit, and the Lions look to be seeing how much versatility they can get out of him.
At guard, which is the top position battle to watch in camp, Christian Mahogany and Glasgow flanked Ratledge more times than not. The Lions love to cross-train their offensive linemen, and it’s not even June yet, so don’t read into anything too much just yet.
\-- Davenport had one of the more notable plays of the afternoon. He had a nice pass rush, breaking free from a group of blockers, pressured the quarterback and swatted the pass down as it came out. The Lions are banking on Davenport to break his bad injury luck this year finally, and the veteran pass rusher was not limited at all on Friday, which is another good sign.
\-- Avonte Maddox is expected to work between slot cornerback and safety, potentially filling the versatile role left by Ifeatu Melifonwu. Maddox spent most of the day at safety next to Kerby Joseph with Branch missing from practice, though. He’s played everywhere during his time in the league and looked up to the tough task of guarding tight end Sam LaPorta when asked to do so.