8 standouts from Day 9 of Detroit Lions training camp

ALLEN PARK, MICHIGAN - JULY 29: Skyler Gill-Howard #50 of the Detroit Lions looks on during Detroit Lions Training Camp at Detroit Lions Meijer Performance Center on July 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Detroit Lions returned to practice Sunday for an early afternoon session after taking Saturday off. After four padded practices in five days this past week, the Lions took things relatively easy, electing to practice in shells during a session that lasted under two hours.

With nearly 25 players either sidelined by injury or receiving veteran days after participating only in warm-ups and walkthroughs, there were also only a handful of full-team 11-on-11 periods. Given the more mild-mannered nature of practice, one skirmish aside, the list of standouts is limited and should be taken with a grain of salt.

Below are my eight biggest standouts from the day.

Defensive tackle - Sykler Gill-Howard

With several players along the defensive front mostly inactive Sunday, the sixth-round rookie took advantage of the additional opportunities and was a bit of a shop wrecker, emerging as the definitive biggest standout of the day.

Gill-Howard told Pride of Detroit after practice that he's starting to feel like himself again after an injury ended his last college season in October.

The first half of training camp went very poorly. I hold myself to a high standard and it took a while for me to click, having (not) been playing since October, my injury," Gill-Howard said. So when I got back out there in pads, it was kind of like, Ah, do I still got it?' in a sense. My body just doesn't feel right. But as the days went on, I started giving myself grace, like, Man, you haven't been out here. Take some time. Take some time. Give yourself grace.' And now it's starting to click. I'm not where I want to be yet, but I'm definitely on the right path."

He credited veterans Alim McNeill and Levi Onwuzurike as two voices who helped pick him back up after he was feeling down following those first few days in pads.

During the first team period with the second-team defense, Gill-Howard recorded a would-be sack of Luke Altmeyer after beating Melvin Priestly. On the very next play, he combined with Chris Smith for a submarine-sandwich tackle for loss on the running back.

Later, during one-on-one pass-rush drills, Gill-Howard took losses against Tate Ratledge and Christian Mahogany but gained valuable reps against the first-team guards. He followed those up with two wins of his own, using a powerful punch to beat Priestly before recording another victory against Michael Niese.

Gill-Howard saved his best work for the end-of-game one-minute drill, when he found himself on the field with the first-team defense and made the most of the opportunity. On back-to-back snaps against Mahogany, Gill-Howard generated clean pass-rush wins. The first resulted in immediate pressure and a would-be sack that forced Jared Goff to dirt the ball. On the next snap, Gill-Howard generated pressure again. Goff likely still gets the throw off in a full-contact setting, but the play resulted in a hurried incompletion after what appeared to be miscommunication with Greg Dortch.

For a rookie who admittedly wasn't pleased with how he opened training camp, Sunday was an encouraging example of Gill-Howard making the most of increased opportunities and showing tangible development.

Running back - Jahmyr Gibbs

The player with $67.5 million worth of game-breaking ability looked exactly like the type of player who keeps defensive coordinators up at night.

While evaluating the run game during a practice in shells lacks some clarity without full contact, Gibbs had a handful of plays that showcased his warp-speed ability. On two potential explosive runs, Tyleik Williams was standing in the backfield on plays that could have resulted in no gain, but Gibbs still found a way to create.

During the first-team session, Gibbs rapidly hit the hole off a combo block and second-level seal from Tate Ratledge and Blake Miller. Later, Gibbs cut backside behind left tackle Miles Frazier and appeared to have an off-to-the-races potential 90+ yard acceleration touchdown. Earlier in that same period, with the offense backed up at its own 1-yard line, Gibbs made a decisive cut to get upfield, escape dangerous territory, and pick up more than five yards.

Gibbs showed out in the passing game as well, starting with a crossing route where he beat Devin White during seven-on-seven drills.

Playmaker. pic.twitter.com/arbt66eC9R

- Detroit Lions (@Lions) August 9, 2026

Then came arguably his play of the day. During the end-of-game scenario, the offense faced a must-have third-and-10. Gibbs hauled in a miraculous 17-yard catch on a wheel route amid a sea of defenders, securing the ball over White's outstretched hands to move the chains. Gibbs added another short reception in the flat a few plays later.

For anyone concerned about Gibbs potentially returning rusty, Sunday's practice was a reassuring step in the right direction.

Quick Hitters

• WR Dominic Lovett - With St. Brown and Williams mostly inactive, Lovett took advantage of the additional opportunities. He made a vice-grip, full-extension contested catch over the middle, showcasing a skill set we haven't often seen from him. Later, during the get-out-of-the-end-zone period, Lovett found himself wide open as a safety valve on a deep dig from Altmeyer with plenty of catch-and-run potential ahead of him.
• WR Greg Dortch - Dortch made a short curl reception when the offense was backed up near its own end zone, but his biggest play came during the end-of-game scenario. He hauled in a 30-plus-yard post over the middle after beating Roger McCreary in coverage. Dortch continues to look like the WR4, although he did drop a punt during special teams drills.
• CB Nick Whiteside - Another practice where Whiteside repped ahead of Ennis Rakestraw and continued to look like the team's No. 3 outside cornerback. He ended practice with an interception near the goal line on a 20-yard desperation heave from Jared Goff during the end-of-game scenario.
• DE Anthony Lucas - With several defensive ends out, Lucas received valuable first-team reps throughout practice, from the opening full-team periods through his work as the rush end during the end-of-game scenario. Lucas wasn't overly notable during one-on-one drills but did record a pull-and-rip win against Blake Miller.
• LB Troy Reeder - After moving around to different linebacker spots during his first few days of camp, Reeder received valuable work as the second-team MIKE linebacker. His best rep came on a stuff of Jabari Small, when Reeder diagnosed the run quickly, beat the blocker to the hole, and delivered a downhill thump at the line of scrimmage.
• S Avonte Maddox - After a full week of practice, Maddox remains entrenched as a first-team safety and showed off his range throughout Sunday's practice. He stayed over the top of an early deep shot from Goff to Lucky Jackson and twice quickly closed to the sideline on passes to the flat-one to Jahmyr Gibbs and another to Jacob Saylors.