Veteran wide receiver Greg Dortch knows Drew Petzing's offense and play-calling style better than most, having played the last three seasons in Arizona with Petzing as his OC.

"Having (Petzing) here makes things comfortable for me," Dortch said after Tuesday's practice. "I'm able to play faster."

That's been evident early in camp as Dortch has made several plays both on offense and special teams and looks to have a firm early grasp on the No. 4 receiver role behind Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Isaac TeSlaa.

"Anytime I can come out here and just help the team, however that is, whether it's punt return, kick return or jumping in the slot, outside, whatever I can do, man, to help the team win, that's what I want to do," Dortch said. "It's been fun, man."

The Lions are looking for a Kalif Raymond replacement on offense and special teams, and Dortch has looked like a great fit so far in camp. He's lightning quick off the line of scrimmage and in space with good speed and has caught the eye of head coach Dan Campbell, particularly in the return game.

"Just watching his movement skills and the drill work as a returner, and even some of the little things as a receiver, it's even better than I thought," Campbell said. "There's things about him. I mean, you watch him maneuver through some of these drills and it looks pretty good.

"So, that's pretty exciting. I like Dortch. Man, he's working. He wants to be one of the guys and adapt to what we do and how we do it. And I think every day he gets a little bit better and learns how we go through and do what we do."

Dortch caught 80 passes for nearly 900 yards and eight touchdowns the last three years in Petzing's offense. He's the favorite to win the punt return job and potentially kick return as well. His familiarity with Petzing and his offense has allowed him to hit the ground running in camp.

"(Petzing) is a really smart guy," Dortch said. "He knows how to get guys open and I'm sure he'll be able to do that this year."

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

Detroit recently signed veteran linebacker Devin White and he's already mixing into some first-team reps in just two practices. Those reps could potentially become more significant after fellow WILL linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez left practice Tuesday with an ankle injury.

White, who recorded 174 tackles last season with Las Vegas, has made an early impression with his physicality and downhill play style in padded practices.

"Well, obviously the WILL linebacker is something that suits him very well," Campbell said. "Just his body type, the type of linebacker he's been in our system too. I mean, the system suits him.

"I thought (Monday), I mean, there's a couple of wild plays in there. I mean, one, he just came downhill. That's what we expect. I mean, and he can still run. You can see that. And so we just get his weight down a little bit and make sure that we continue to work him into practice, be smart with him. And, then see where he can go with it. But it's an opportunity."

INJURY UPDATES

Third-year running back Sione Vaki left Monday's practice after getting poked in the eye and suffering a broken nose.

"He's going to be out for a little bit here," Campbell said Tuesday of Vaki. "We're hopeful vision should be okay in time. We're not going to have him here today. Just going to let him kind of recover a little bit.

"So, we think he'll be okay. He's just going to need a minute here. It's just one of those freak things. Somehow a hand gets through the face mask. It was unbelievable."

Tight end Anthony Firkser was placed on IR Tuesday after he left practice Monday with a fractured fibula. The team re-signed tight end Zach Horton to take his roster spot. Wide receiver Lawrence Keys didn't practice Tuesday due to a hamstring injury.

EXTRA POINT

The Vaki injury and Jahmyr Gibbs’ absence from practice has given running backs Isiah Pacheco, Jacob Saylors, Jabari Small and Kye Robichaux an opportunity for more reps and more chances to impress coaches.

"He's got ability. I mean, you see it. He's got ability. It's a great opportunity for him," Campbell said of Saylors. "This is a great opportunity. So, it'll be good to see. Small too. You guys are going to get a pretty good look here."