ALLEN PARK — Less than a week into training camp it’s clear the Detroit Lions’ offense has hit the ground running with a few rookie standouts adding a new twist.
It’s the second season under Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson which means less basic learning and more improvement on what worked. Under Johnson the offense was ranked fifth overall in the NFL in 2022 even as the team struggled and finished 9-8.
“It’s now understanding the answers to the problems because every play call, defenses present problems and now we’ve got the solutions. We’re a lot quicker getting to those solutions than what we were, so we have made a step forward and that’s really with the vets,’’ Johnson said on Wednesday.
“The young guys, they’re still – they’re drinking through a water hose right now, which is a good thing. We’re trying to make this really, really challenging for all of our players and as we go through camp, the mentals is what we look at quite a bit so, the mental errors I should say,’’ Johnson added. “Right now, we’re pretty good, but as we get going, the more volume, the more that will go up and the guys that end up making our team are the guys that can handle that, handle the volume and deal with it, so it’s good.”
Rookie tight end Sam LaPorta has been one standout so far working with the starters at times. It’s not a surprise since the second-round pick was solid throughout OTAs and minicamp.
“I think as a coaching staff, we’re very much, ‘You need to earn your stripes.’ And so you saw in the springtime, he got minimal work with the first team and he’s earned the right now to be in that first team huddle with Jared (Goff) and that offensive line,’’ Johnson said. “He’s proven that over the course of the springtime and the work that he’s put in. So, encouraged with where he’s going. He’s still making mistakes, he’s still learning, we are putting a lot of pressure on him to pick it up, but I think he’s in a really good spot for a first-year tight end, particularly with, like I said, the volume we are applying with the installs right now, so to see him be able to go out on the field and make plays, pass game and run game, I think we’re headed the right direction.”
When the pads come on for the first time on Friday, it will give coaches a better look at LaPorta.
“It’s a position that, if you cannot block and deal with the physicality, then in our offense, the value goes down. Tight ends that can’t block really are glorified receivers and that’s really a lot of Sam’s value that he had at Iowa was the ability to do both, be a pass catcher and also a run blocker,’’ Johnson said. “So, looking forward to see that versatility come to life when we do get the pads on.”
Rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs, a first-round pick, is learning quickly per Johnson.
“We’ve kept him learning the basic running back stuff right now, but we’re going to start pushing the envelope a little bit as we keep going through camp,’’ Johnson said. “The interesting thing is we’ve got the Giants coming in so early that our install has to be condensed a little bit, so we’re getting pretty aggressive and so the volume, the things we’re asking them to do, it’s going to escalate quickly and we’ll find out a lot more about these young guys, probably within the next week, week and a half.”
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