Getty Dan Campbell claps on the field before a Dolphins game.
The Detroit Lions are a go for another round of offseason workouts and after some initial confusion over who might turn up, the team has seen a very strong turnout for their workout period.
Detroit welcomed veteran players back to the mix and showed off the photos of the event on the field. Quarterback Jared Goff was in attendance, as was most of Detroit’s expected starting offensive line.
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Here’s a look at some of the first photos:
Checking in for OTAs 👋
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As Chris Burke of The Athletic tweeted, by his calculations, the Lions have around 60 players or more at the event, with some possibly yet to come. That is pretty solid turnout for some offseason workouts many weren’t sure would happen in person in the first place.
I’ve checked off at least 60 players in attendance for OTAs as of yesterday, just scrolling through those team-provided shots. Final numbers should be higher than that — solid participation rate for the first full-squad workouts.
Dan Campbell will be very pleased with the Lions coming to town in this strong of numbers and attempting to start the 2021 season off on the right foot, indeed.
Lions Players Showing Up Important This Offseason
Initially, the Lions were one of the teams that looked like a good bet to stay virtual with their offseason workouts. Obviously, there was a bit of a sea change in the minds of most players, who wanted to get back into the building and get going with a new coaching staff. If it seemed like the players were opting out or not wanting to get better on the field, that’s not the complete truth, either. The Lions players who may not show up will be used to virtual work now, and the players can still work to get better on their own for the season. Last year, the Lions didn’t struggle due to the fact that they weren’t in the building in the spring. Obviously, a new staff will want to get their play books in the hands of as many folks as possible.
The biggest challenge for the Lions will be getting that new system and program in with a brand new coach and roster starting from scratch. The good news? The team is at least meeting them halfway at this point in time with a good portion of the roster in attendance.
Lions Offseason Calendar
The Lions will continue with the offseason workouts for the next week, then will have another OTA period in early June before setting off on a summer break later in the month. Training camp will then come in July, and it will be followed by the preseason in August. The Lions already had their rookie minicamp a week ago, so they have welcomed most of the young players into the mix already this offseason and now the veterans are coming into the fold.
It’s great to see the Lions showing up to do some offseason work and nice to see the franchise starting to pull in the same direction. After what happened the last few seasons on the field, that’s not something which anyone should be taking for granted at all.
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Lions Have Impressive Turnout for Offseason Workouts [LOOK]