The Detroit Lions wrapped up their first day of training camp, and there is a lot to unpack. From first-team lineup shuffles to a jaw-dropping Jameson Williams catch, Detroit’s roster battles and position competitions are already taking shape on Day 1.

Jahmyr Gibbs was not at practice

As we know, Gibbs is looking for a new contract, and there have been some fears of a potential holdout. At this time, we do not know if that is a thing or not, but it was clear that he was not there on Wednesday. We’ll probably get more info on Thursday morning. For what it’s worth, Bijan Robinson didn’t show up to practice for the Falcons either.

First-team reps and surprises

With Gibbs not practicing, that opened up the opportunity for Sione Vaki to get first-team reps at running back. He shared that spot with Isiah Pacheco.

At left guard, we saw something I didn’t think we would see. Juice Scruggs was repping with the ones at left guard. That was not totally expected because it seemed like he was going to be more of a center for the Lions. But they’ve got him working at left guard, which is different. Maybe that’s where he ends up. Ben Bartch had some first-team reps early in drills, but in 11-on-11s, I did not see him there.

Blake Miller and Larry Borrum were rotating at right tackle during drills and in 11-on-11s as well. But I just don’t see a world where Miller is not going to be the permanent starting right tackle for Detroit once things really get rolling.

Some clarity at safety perhaps?

Look, I can tell you that while Kerby Joseph was not practicing, he made his presence on the field known Wednesday. Go look at his Instagram story for more hilarious proof of that. He did not look like a guy with a problem at any point. He was sprinting up and down the conditioning hill and doing all kinds of different workouts. The Lions are going to take their time, but he looks ready from my eyes. I mean, the dude was even skipping up that hill.

Branch was on the field, but was just helping out in drills. He wasn’t doing anything but being a good teammate.

With both of those guys out, it was Chuck Clark and Avonte Maddox at safety with the first team. Thomas Harper and Dan Jackson were the second-team guys on this day.

Edge rusher rotation featured plenty of looks

Derek Moore, the rookie second-round pick, was kind of all over the place. He rotated in with the ones early on but also worked with the twos and threes. It looks like they’re going to bring him along slow, and that’s going to be worth watching closely. There were a lot of different looks at edge for the Lions on Day 1. Moore was one of them. Wanam had looks there. Tyler Lacy had looks at edge with the first team in a big end role. Ahmed Hassanien got reps at edge as well, mostly with the second team.

Ennis Rakestraw reps at cornerback 2

Ennis Rakestraw was repping at cornerback 2 with the starters, which was a big deal considering his injury history. He had some good reps. One was unbelievable. He had a beautiful coverage on Amon-Ra St. Brown but was not able to get the pass breakup. St. Brown made a catch that, if it had been on TV during a game, probably would have been SportsCenter worthy.

But believe it or not, that was not the biggest catch of the day. He otherwise looked good out there. He split reps with Rock Ya-Sin, but this shows that the Lions see Rakestraw as a viable starter going into the season.

Play of the day: Jameson Williams

The play of the day belonged to Jameson Williams without question. Williams had two guys on him, both Rakestraw and Chuck Clark, and they were covering him tight downfield. Jared Goff threw a 40-yard bomb, and somehow Williams came up with a contested catch that looked like a Calvin Johnson type of play. Then he got up like it was something he’s been doing for years. If Detroit can continue to develop that part of his game, it’s going to be huge for this offense.

Emptying the notebook

• Miles Kitselman got some first-team reps at tight end during drills. Likely because Tyler Conklin was out. But that’s still a big deal.
• I’m going to write about this more in a separate story, but Nick Whiteside by far had the best day of everyone I saw. Or at least the most standout day.
• Greg Dortch, Domnic Lovett, Tom Kennedy, Isiah Pacheco, Lawrence Keys, and Amon-Ra St. Brown were taking reps at kick returner. Dortch looked the most at home in the spot.
• Joe Bachie sacked Luke Altmyer. Go Spartans.
• Jimmy Rolder is really punchy. He’s definitely looking for those turnovers. He’ll fit right in with the linebacker room.
• Dominic Lovett had a nice day.
• Christian Mahogany and Christian Izien were both working off to the side with trainers. That’s usually a good sign for a quicker return. We’ll see.

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