ALLEN PARK, Mich. — It was scrimmage day for Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions. He was as giddy as you’d imagine.
“This will be good, it’ll be competitive,” Campbell said this morning. “First chance to get a pretty good dose without it being scripted. Here we go, man.”
Campbell said he wanted to get the starters and key reserves the majority of the workload since they won’t play in Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game against the Los Angeles Chargers. The first-team offense and defense faced one another for seven drives, with the second-team getting three.
Here’s what we saw.
Scrimmage recap
This recap focuses on the starting reps, since that’s what the Lions tried to do. Here are the seven drives featuring the starting offense vs. the starting defense (with some reserves mixed in).
Drive No. 1:
• Jahmyr Gibbs takes a handoff from Jared Goff to the left. Terrion Arnold and Brian Branch are there for the tackle.
• Jack Campbell blitzes and sacks Goff, blowing up Gibbs along the way.
• Aidan Hutchinson ends the series with a sack vs. Dan Skipper. Three-and-out for the offense.
Drive No. 2:
• David Montgomery with a short run to the right. Campbell with the tackle.
• Montgomery with another run, taking advantage of a hole created by Graham Glasgow and Tate Ratledge, who sealed off Tyleik Williams for a gain of 14.
• Goff finds Amon-Ra St. Brown on a quick out for a gain of four.
• Montgomery with a run for no gain. Ran into a pile, but it looked like one of the DTs (either Williams or DJ Reader) shed Glasgow and made a play.
• False start.
• Goff looks for Tim Patrick over the middle, but the pass is incomplete.
• Jake Bates misses a 54-yard field goal to end the drive.
Drive No. 3:
• Goff looks for St. Brown on a crosser over the middle, but Branch is right on him. Makes a diving play to force an incompletion.
• Gibbs with a run to the left. Branch with the stop after a gain of four.
• Goff looks for Sam LaPorta down the left sideline, but the pass is a bit out in front. Three-and-out for the offense.
• Dominic Lovett with a very nice punt return. Shifty in space and evades some would-be tacklers. Crowd roars.
Drive No. 4:
• Goff finds LaPorta on a play-action pass, tackled by Zach Cunningham after a gain of 10 to start the drive. First down.
• Goff throws the ball away with Branch barreling down on a blitz. LaPorta didn’t pick him up.
• Goff finds Montgomery on a swing pass, tackled by D.J. Reed for a moderate gain.
• Hutchinson sacks Goff to end the drive. Four-and-out for the offense.
Drive No. 5:
• Gibbs with a run to the right. Rock Ya-Sin pushes him out of bounds after a five-yard gain.
• Gibbs takes a toss to the left. There’s an initial hole there, but it’s quickly filled by Branch for a short gain. Third-and-short.
• Goff finds St. Brown for a gain of five. Reed with the tackle. First down.
• Gibbs takes a handoff to the left and picks up six on the run.
• Goff finds LaPorta for a gain of six. Morice Norris makes the tackle.
• Gibbs takes a handoff to the left for a gain of 21. Good blocking on the edge, with LaPorta sealing things for Gibbs. Lions are in the red zone.
• Montgomery with a run up the middle, breaking through a Branch arm tackle. About a 10-yard gain.
• Touchdown, Montgomery. Takes a handoff up the middle for a score — the starting offense’s first of the day.
• Bates’ PAT is good.
Drive No. 6:
• Lots of communication before the snap. Looks like Campbell is signaling something to the defense. Goff looks like he changes the play shortly thereafter. He finds Jameson Williams on a bubble screen, picking up four or five yards before he’s taken down by Reed.
• Gibbs with a short rush, breaking a tackle by Branch before getting blown up by Marcus Davenport. A violent hit from No. 92. Gibbs pops right back up.
• Goff drops back and is sacked by Hutchinson, beating Skipper on the play. Lions settle for a field goal.
• Bates nails a 60-yard field goal.
Drive No. 7:
• Montgomery runs into a pile for a gain of four yards.
• Montgomery takes a quick toss and shakes Reed for a gain of about eight. Very nice run for Montgomery.
• Goff finds LaPorta for a gain of seven yards.
• Goff fakes a swing pass to Gibbs to the left, then works to his right and finds Montgomery to set up a screen pass with blockers in front. Gain of about eight on the play. Creative stuff to take advantage of both Gibbs and Montgomery.
• Goff finds Williams on a short pass. A bit off target, but Williams manages to haul it in for a gain of one. Hutchinson gets through and believes he has a sack, but the play isn’t blown dead by the coaching staff. Beats Penei Sewell on the rush. (Note: I’d give Hutchinson the sack.)
• Goff finds St. Brown on a short checkdown. Gain of about five or six. Lions are in the red zone.
• Gibbs picks up the first down on a short but tough run up the middle, inside the 10-yard line. RBs coach Tashard Choice gives him some love for keeping the drive alive.
• Another Gibbs run up the middle, for a gain of three or four yards. Reed with a nice tackle, anticipating the run. He’s an excellent tackler for a cornerback.
• Goff with a play-action fake to Montgomery, rolls to his left, waits and finds Patrick in the back of the end zone for a touchdown on the final drive of the day.
Hutchinson impresses
Hutchinson, as you can see above, did some damage on Tuesday. He recorded at least three sacks (four if you count the final series) and had a run stop as well. If you’re eager to chalk this up to reps vs. second-team tackle Skipper, you should know that Hutchinson beat Sewell in Tuesday’s practice and has gone toe-to-toe with Sewell and won throughout training camp. The most notable takeaway here is that Hutchinson looks phenomenal. There’s no rust, no hesitation, no restrictions in place. He looks like the guy who led the league in pressures, sacks and win rate before his injury. And that’s all you could want as a Lions fan.
The Lions held a scrimmage this morning. Starting offense and defense got the bulk of the work.
Aidan Hutchinson was the best player on the field.
Had him with three sacks (with a fourth the team didn’t credit). He looks phenomenal.
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) July 29, 2025
Gibbs is the new No. 1?
Gibbs wanted to wear No. 1 this year. That went to Williams, with Gibbs taking on No. 0. He’ll have to settle for being the No. 1 back instead.
One thing that’s been clear as these practices have unfolded is that Gibbs is usually the first back on the field with the starters. In past years, you’d often see Montgomery get the first bulk of carries before Gibbs takes the field. There was a clear pecking order in practice, and that often translated to games. Maybe it’s nothing to read into, but there are a few factors to consider.
• Gibbs’ final three games of the regular season were remarkable. He totaled 487 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns with Montgomery injured. He couldn’t be stopped.
• The Lions have been open about wanting to use more 20 and 21 personnel — two-back looks. Morton says it’s about getting their best five on the field. We’ve seen Gibbs line up at receiver with Montgomery in the backfield, and both in the backfield at other times.
• It’s Year 3 for Gibbs, and perhaps the staff is recognizing he’s too talented for a true 50-50 split.
This doesn’t mean Montgomery won’t be used. He’s looked phenomenal himself. However, it seems the Lions want Gibbs on the field as much as possible, while maintaining a fair workload for each. Something to monitor.
Branch excels
If you do a command-F search of this article, you’ll probably find Branch’s name littered throughout the scrimmage recap. He was everywhere. If you told me you thought Branch was the best player on the field, I wouldn’t argue it. He spent time in the box, back deep at safety and in the slot at nickel. His PBU vs. St. Brown was one of the plays of the day — in man coverage, asked to cover an All-Pro WR who wins routinely — and did it without much trouble. He shot out of a cannon for a sack on the fourth drive.
It’s July 29. If Branch stays healthy, he’ll be an All-Pro this year. Check back on this in early January.
News, notes and observations
• Lions CB Terrion Arnold left the scrimmage with a hamstring and did not return. Arnold appeared to be in good spirits after practice, walking off the field without help at a normal pace. Hamstrings tend to linger, though, so you have to think the Lions will be cautious with him.
• Nickel Amik Robertson did not participate in the scrimmage. It’s unclear what he’s dealing with, but Robertson told me after Monday’s practice that he’s fine.
• Campbell said safety Kerby Joseph is dealing with “knee irritation.” He’s missed the last two practices. Campbell hopes to have him back by Saturday for the team’s walk-through.
• I’d say the defense had a better day than the offense. Those boys look locked in. It took four drives to really get the offense going. I don’t think it’s anything to be concerned about — the defense is typically ahead of the offense in the first week — but if anything, it’s a sign of how good this unit can be. Kelvin Sheppard is stepping into a great situation.
• One thing worth mentioning: The downfield throws haven’t hit very often in pads. It’s something Morton said he’s testing right now, but the coverage has been so good, it’s been hard to evaluate it. Other times, Goff hasn’t found the touch. We know it’s in there, though. Camp is for ironing things out.
• Ratledge and Christian Mahogany had some nice reps today. You can tell Ratledge, in particular, is much more natural at guard right now. Not to say he can’t play center, but Campbell said he likes what he’s seen from the line with Glasgow at center and Ratledge at guard. The interior offensive line created some nice lanes on Tuesday.
• Both Hendon Hooker and Kyle Allen looked sharp in training camp and were solid again. Nothing crazy, but on-time throws to receivers in stride. Allen has brought the best out of Hooker, and it’s easy to see why the Lions signed him. He’s got starting experience and can rifle it. Hooker, meanwhile, is delivering the ball much faster and on rhythm. Backup QB play has been a pleasant surprise.
• Bates had an inconsistent day. He missed from 54 and 51 yards, but hit from 60. Oddly on-brand for him in these practices.
• Some second-teamers with sacks in the scrimmage: Anthony Pittman, Nate Lynn, Trevor Nowaske, Keith Cooper/Pat O’Connor.
• Another good day for Isaac TeSlaa and Lovett. Lovett’s punt return got the beat buzzing. TeSlaa had a nice catch over the middle for a gain of 16 during the first drive for the second-team offense.
(Photo of Aidan Hutchinson: Junfu Han / USA Today Sports via Imagn Images)