ALLEN PARK — The injury bug continued to plague the Detroit Lions when they returned to work on Monday afternoon, with cornerback Corn Elder held out because of an injury and running back Jermar Jefferson leaving with another.
Elder was a free-agent signing who was supposed to compete for the starting job in the slot, although he’s repped behind Mike Ford throughout most of camp. Now he’s down with an unknown issue. With Quinton Dunbar still out of town tending to a family matter, the Lions have some depth issues behind Jeff Okudah and Amani Oruwariye at that position.
Detroit fortified its depth in the secondary by signing Nickell Robey-Coleman to a one-year deal after a workout in Allen Park. Safety D’Angelo Amos was cut in the corresponding move.
Robey-Coleman has history with some members of this staff too, including head coach Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, both of whom were with the Saints when Robey-Coleman — then with the Rams — committed pass interference in the NFC championship game against receiver Tommylee Lewis.
The penalty should have given New Orleans possession at the Rams’ 5-yard line in the waning moments of that game. Instead, the club settled for a field goal and then proceeded to lose to Los Angeles as time expired.
Another connection: Robey-Coleman played for current Lions secondary coach Aubrey Pleasant in Los Angeles.
More notes from Monday’s practice:
— Add running back to the positions that have been hit by the bug as well, after rookie Jermar Jefferson left practice on Monday with a leg injury. That’s a blow for Jefferson, who has been having a nice camp and figured to play a large role in the preseason opener on Friday against Buffalo. D’Andre Swift also has missed significant practice time while nursing a sore groin. He’s suited up almost every day, but rarely participated in seven-on-seven or 11-on-11 work.
— No position has been hit harder than receiver, where Tyrell Williams (groin/dislocated finger), Breshad Perriman (hip), Quintez Cephus (head) and Damion Ratley (unknown) have all missed time in recent days. Williams was back on the field Monday, but Perriman, Cephus and Ratley remained out. That forced the Lions to promote Kalif Raymond and Victor Bolden to the starting lineup on Monday, plus sign free agent Darius Jennings.
— Other players who did not practice on Monday, just four days before Detroit opens the preseason against Buffalo: Offensive tackle Tommy Kraemer and defensive tackles Levi Onwuzurike and John Penisini.
— The news wasn’t all bad on the injury front, with defensive tackle Michael Brockers, offensive lineman Tyrell Crosby, linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin, linebacker Derrick Barnes and the aforementioned Tyrell Williams all returning to the field. Brockers hadn’t suited up since the first few days of camp, while Reeves-Maybin hadn’t practiced at all while dealing with a COVID issue.
— Reeves-Maybin marked his return to the field with a nice sack off a blitz. (Yes, the Lions are blitzing again!) He also had to get in the 40 up-downs that coordinator Aaron Glenn has mandated for all defensive players. Defensive tackle P.J. Johnson, signed before the scrimmage on Saturday, also had to get his in — and let’s just say it wasn’t pretty. Johnson, listed at 320 pounds, labored badly through the drill.
— The Lions moved Monday’s practice indoors due to a torrential downpour that hit the area as practice was about to start. The indoor facility is actually a better viewing area for the media, and reporters can hear a lot more too because of the enclosed space. That gave me a great vantage point to really soak in what the Lions have in assistant head coach/running backs coach Duce Staley. Players have raved about the juice he brings to practice, and it was easy to see — and hear — on Monday. Team rules prohibit me from reporting what he said, but let’s just say he was fired the hell up when a reserve back erred on a handoff early in practice.
— Speaking of backs screwing up, it wasn’t a very good day for fullback Godwin Igwebuike. You had to figure there would be some bumps for him as he makes the move from safety in camp, and today might have been his worst yet, coughing up the ball twice, including once in the red zone and another time after a collision with linebacker Jahlani Tavai.
— Sticking with the fullbacks for a moment, Jason Cabinda continues to show something in the passing game. He’s been worked into that aerial attack throughout camp, and caught one of the better balls on Monday, a beautiful play-action pass over the middle from backup quarterback David Blough.
— I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I know Tim Boyle was signed to compete for that QB2 job behind Jared Goff, but I’ll be damned if Blough isn’t outplaying him. Blough throws a better ball, and has gotten vertical more consistently than perhaps any quarterback in camp. He was the second-team quarterback throughout practice on Monday, and don’t be surprised if he wins the gig when the season opens next month. That’s a real position battle, and both Blough and Boyle to make their case for the job during the three preseason games.
— Much has been made about Jared Goff’s inability to get the deep ball going in practice, but it’s not for a lack of arm strength. He flexed it on Monday when he uncorked a pass to Tyrell Williams that traveled more than 60 yards through the air, by far his longest pass of camp. The ball didn’t even come out clean either — there was some wobble to it, which allowed two defenders to close in on Williams. But the big receiver high-pointed the football for a huge gain.
— Speaking of huge gains, my goodness Jack Fox is punting well these days. He hit the roof of the indoor facility a few times during warmups, later uncorked a 70-yard moonshot during special teams drills, then later sent an 80-yarder through the air that just might have been the best punt I’ve ever seen in person. And that wasn’t even the craziest thing he did on the day, also somehow squeezing a ball through the approximately 1 foot of space between the roof and the beams below it. Maybe he should consider buying a lotto ticket, because that’s just plain crazy.
