Most of the talk so far this week leading up to Sunday's Lions-Packers matchup has centered around the blockbuster trade that brought All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons to Green Bay.
Parsons' addition to an already solid Packers defense is obviously a big storyline, but the Lions have a pretty good edge rusher of their own in Aidan Hutchinson.
Hutchinson enters 2025 with a bit of a chip on his shoulder having missed most of last season after breaking his leg Week 6 in Dallas. Green Bay didn't face Hutchinson last year in either of their Week 9 or Week 14 matchups with Detroit, both Lions victories.
Hutchinson can't wait to strap it up Sunday and get back to playing football, finally putting all the injury talk he's dealt with over the last year to bed. He's looking forward to showing off how he's progressed as a player and how he can impact the defense.
"People depend on you more and you're put in those situations where you have to win if your defense is going to have success and that's kind of the change in the standard for myself," Hutchinson said Tuesday. "That's what people expect of me and that's what I expect of myself and that's kind of what it's evolved to."
Lions head coach Dan Campbell is expecting a lot out of his veteran edge rusher Sunday as he hits the field for the first time in nearly 11 months.
"Very excited. Can't wait to watch him, too," Campbell said. "He's put in a lot of time, a lot of effort, a lot of hard work to get back to where he's at right now. When you have the game taken away from you for whatever reasons, it just gives you a little extra motivation to come back. So, I'm excited to watch him. He's going to be ready to go. He'll be ready to go.
"I just feel like he's improved himself even from last year. Just his ability to bend, his mechanics with his hands, his hips. There are tricks of the trade you learn along the way as you grow, and I do feel like from a flexibility standpoint, and then just continuing to hone his own skills, I think you can elevate yourself even a little bit more. I just feel like he's done that."
STRONGER JAMO
Wide receiver Jameson Williams has been impressive all offseason and through training camp. He's incorporated a lot more of the route tree into his game, and Lions assistant head coach and wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery said Tuesday the thing that's stood out to him about Williams' development this offseason was his added strength.
"This offseason, where I think he grew the most, is I really talked to him about strength and getting better and stronger, his lower quarters, and changing his body," Montgomery said. "Even if you don't change weight-wise, you can change strength-wise. And he's gotten a lot stronger.
"There were a couple of carrots dangled to get stronger. To be able to get out of the breaks, you've got to have stronger lower quarters. And, man, he came back, and I could immediately see the difference in his body type and also his movement skills. It became not just explosive, but it became to a point where now I can go be explosive and still stop on a dime."
Williams' ability to put his foot in the ground, transfer his weight, and come back to the quarterback has been huge for him because defenders must respect his straight-line speed.
VETERAN STANDOUTS
Two veterans got shoutouts from coaches Tuesday for the training camp they had and for the season they're expected to have in 2025.
The first was defensive lineman DJ Reader, who is now nearly two years removed from a quad injury that prevented him from taking part in training camp in his first season in Detroit last year. Reader was able to participate in all of training camp this year and Campbell thinks the veteran looked great in camp and is going to have a big impact on the interior of Detroit's defensive front.
"He's been one of those, I hate to say silent, but it's kind of been this quiet, really kick-ass camp," Campbell said. "He really has, man. He's shown up. He's a staple for us right now, and yes, we're going to need him. He's big for us."
The other was veteran wide receiver Kalif Raymond, who took most of the third-team reps behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and Williams.
"It was probably one of the more consistent springs that we've seen at the wide receiver position, being here and being detailed," Montgomery said. "His catch-to-target ratio, his one-on-one wins, his ability to separate in tight coverage, his ability to make plays down the field. We're tracking this a little bit differently than maybe everybody else.
"We're just trying to make sure that we get the upper-echelon out of each player, and he is playing closer to his roof now than he was before. We really like where he is, and hopefully, he can have a tremendous role in helping us this year."
CAPTAINS NAMED
The Lions have their six captains for the 2025 season, three on offense, two on defense, and one on special teams.
Quarterback Jared Goff, St. Brown, and tackle Penei Sewell are the captains on offense. Hutchinson and linebacker Alex Anzalone are the captains on defense. Linebacker Grant Stuard rounds out this year's captains on special teams.
PRACTICE REPORT
Not taking part in the portion of practice open to the media Tuesday were: Wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa, running back Sione Vaki and linebacker Trevor Nowaske.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Campbell on playing Week 1 in Green Bay at Lambeau Field:
"That's one of those places, on the eighth day, the Good Lord made Lambeau. So, we can go out there and play in it. First Super Bowl, Ice Bowl, the history it's got. It's in the same location. It's been upgraded ... but it's got that deep history to it.
"It's the grass, man, it's the elements, it's just the mystique. It's awesome. If you love football, you love going to play there. So, our guys look forward to it. It's one of those special places to go play."
