Lions OTA Day 3: Dan Campbell Injury & Participation Updates
Did the Lions OTA participation match expectations?
We got some more information regarding Detroit Lions player OTA availability on Friday, courtesy of Dan Campbell and media reports. Here’s the rundown.
Detroit Lions OTA Day 3: Participation Update
See my Lions OTA Player Watchlist for the expectations entering OTA.
Kerby Joseph, S - No practice. Fits expectations.
Brian Branch, S - No practice. Fits expectations.
Sam LaPorta, TE - Jog-throughs only. Fits expectations.
Terrion Arnold, CB - No practice. Below expectations but unlikely a concern.
Ennis Rakestraw, CB - Participated. Fits expectations.
Dan Jackson, S - Participated. Fits expectations.
Malcolm Rodriguez, LB - Participated. Fits expectations.
Ben Bartch, OG - Not seen by media per John Maakaron. Uncertain reason, but my Bartch Free Agency Medical Report had him at a high medical concern level (9/10) due to a season-ending Lisfranc.
Zach Horton, TE - Did not practice per Jeremy Reisman. Uncertain reason. I have no record of significant injuries for him last year.
Here are Dan Campbell quotes from his May 29, 2026 press conference along with my analysis:
Why Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch, & Sam LaPorta are not practicing
Kerby, Branch, LaPorta - they’re all improving. None of them are practicing. That’s the best I can tell you.
LaPorta’s taken some walk-throughs, jog-throughs.
The most important thing is continue to let them improve, rehab. That will take precedence right now. They’re in meetings. Just take it day-to-day.
The lack of practice for Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch fits expectations, as noted in my Lions OTA Player Watchlist. I would not expect either player to upgrade their participation level during OTAs, which run through June 11. Branch is still rehabbing his Achilles, and Joseph is limiting the wear on his knee.
Sam LaPorta’s lack of full practice is a slight disappointment but not a surprise. It’s reassuring to hear he is doing some limited work with jog-throughs, which is in-line with my OTA expectations. He will be one to watch to see if his activity ramps up a bit over the course of OTAs.
Terrion Arnold & rookie practice status
Terrion Arnold probably won’t practice. A couple of these rookies probably won’t do very much and that’s more precautionary.
It would have been nice to see Arnold fully participating, but it doesn’t change his outlook coming off his December shoulder surgeries. I’m presuming this is just a precaution, and he should be ready for training camp. It’s possible we see him upgrade his status later in OTAs.
Campbell said a couple rookies were limited, but it’s uncertain who. Rookies not practicing in OTA isn’t necessarily an issue as they have already put in a ton of work this calendar year with pre-draft preparations. However, it’s still something to watch.
Looking back to last season’s rookie participation per my Lions Wire 2025 OTA Participation story:
Isaac TeSlaa and Tyleik Williams were limited and ended up being fine for the season.
Miles Frazier missed time, which turned out to be a significant knee issue that landed him on PUP for most of the season. He wasn’t activated off PUP until November 5, and he finally saw his first action on December 4.
Levi Onwuzurike status after ACL surgery
I like where Levi’s at and I’ll leave it at that. He’s working. He feels good.
In February, I reviewed the curious medical situations of Onwuzurike and Josh Paschal. See my story below for a refresher…
In summary, Onwuzurike had ACL surgery around May 2025 - shortly after signing a 1-year free agent contract. There were (and still are) many reasons why the Lions might move on, but it looks like they are giving Levi every opportunity to earn a spot. This should be seen as good news for his health and outlook.
Unless there is a setback with the knee, Onwuzurike should be ready in plenty of time for training camp and the season. However, production expectations should be tempered in the first year back from an ACL, as seen with fellow lineman Alim McNeill.
Why no rookie minicamp in 2026?
It’s not worth it anymore. The straw that broke the camel’s back last year was it was the first walkthrough and we had guys all over the ground, so the league didn’t take too kindly to that and it’s not worth it.
Sounds like the NFL penalized the Lions in 2025 for breaking the contact rules in the offseason. The Lions were also penalized in 2024 for the same issue.
While no team wants to be penalized, it might be a good thing from an injury prevention standpoint to be forced to dial the intensity down during the offseason.
For more on the pros/cons of dialing down the intensity during practice…