Dan Campbell said the Detroit Lions just finished three straight padded practices that were outstanding, then backed off for a lighter one-hour session in shells on Thursday as the team turned toward preseason game No. 2. Josh Dobbs is set to start Saturday against Washington, but the quarterback race is not closed, and the next on-field work is already moving fast toward the game.
That is why Derrick Moore is in the conversation now. Campbell has been talking about players who keep showing up in meaningful moments, and Eric O'Neill fits that standard with a hit on Joe Burrow in the preseason opener that forced an incompletion and a punt, then a pick-six off Luke Altmyer on Tuesday. Campbell put it plainly: O'Neill is a guy that makes plays every day.
Thursday's shorter practice still had enough live work to matter. The Lions went through red zone, special teams and a few situational periods, and Dobbs's only snap in team work ended with a touchdown pass to Jackson Meeks. Meeks has settled in after moving from receiver to tight end, and he was the only offensive player to find the end zone in the session.
The quarterback picture, though, still has a wrinkle. Dobbs got the Saturday start, yet Campbell said the competition with Luke Altmyer was not over, and Altmyer had taken most of the second-team snaps during the week. Jared Goff will not play Saturday, so the reps now belong to the depth players who are fighting for backup jobs and other roster openings.
One more name remains on the edge of the picture. Jimmy Rolder was working off to the side with trainers after hurting his hamstring in the first week of camp, and Campbell said it was unlikely he would return to practice next week. Even so, the team still sounded encouraged that Rolder could be ready for Week 1 when the Lions host New Orleans, which is the sort of timetable that tells you the real evaluation is still ahead of them.
The Lions have a walkthrough Friday, then the next real test comes Saturday. For Dobbs, Altmyer, O'Neill, Meeks and the rest of the camp group, that is where praise becomes proof.
