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Fights can be a right of passage in any training camp, and the Detroit Lions saw yet another situation play out which proved that in 2022.
While the Lions have been going at it respectfully in camp early on, the team did get a bit chippy on Thursday, August 4 during their morning work. Reports from camp indicated a scrap between defensive lineman Austin Bryant and offensive tackle Dan Skipper.
Benjamin Raven of MLive.com was on the scene and had a report of the goings on:
“Dan Skipper and Austin Bryant dust up alert. Looked like Big Skip threw a punch at Bryant’s helmet after they untangled, then Logan Stenberg comes out of nowhere and throws a helmet like a bowling ball. Both OL were in for the next snap, back to business,” Raven tweeted.
As Colton Pouncey of The Athletic tweeted, it was a surprising pair to start the battle to say the least.
“Who had Austin Bryant vs. Dan Skipper for the first fight of Lions training camp?,” Pouncey tweeted. It’s not likely many would have bet on either combatant being the first to start things off.
It seems as if it was a quick scrap, but it was a scrap nonetheless. Coaches don’t always like to see camp fights because of the potential for injuries, but it is an indication that the players involved are bringing the right intensity to the mix.
Specifically in the case of Bryant, that is very interesting to note.
2021 Saw Lions’ Rookie Camp Fight
Last year almost exactly one year to the day, Amon-Ra St. Brown had a training camp scrap with defensive back Ifeatu Melifonwu.
During practice on Tuesday, August 3, 2021, the Lions got involved in a bit of a fracas on the field. As Chris Burke of The Athletic pointed out while watching practice at the time, the then-rookies got involved in a bit of a dust up, with St. Brown and Melifonwu throwing some punches at each other during a drill.
Seeing the Lions get after it a bit at the time was interpreted as a good sign, and it should be taken that way again. Often, players get into it on the field during camp, and this proves the team has the right mindset in terms of compete early on.
It helped set the tone in 2021, and it might do the trick once more in 2022.
Scrap Shows Bryant Fighting Hard for Lions Roster
In this battle, the most notable element might be the presence of Bryant. The defensive lineman has been seen as a roster bubble player this offseason, so a fight shows he is supremely motivated for the year and isn’t backing down from anyone on the field.
Coming into last season, Bryant had put up just 25 total tackles in his time in the NFL. In 2021, he managed to top that with 31 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Health played a role in his resurgence, and he was one of the more important Lions pass rushers last year. In spite of that, the team added depth up front, so nothing will be guaranteed.
Bryant is finally healthy and being able to show signs of his old self. Will depth hurt him this coming year, or will he be able to lock down a role for 2022 in Detroit?
With this mini-battle, he may be showing the right kind of mindset the team will appreciate early on.
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