Holmes breaks silence on Terrion Arnold's release
Brad Holmes finally spoke on cutting Terrion Arnold loose, closing training camp with the corner room he trusts, the Colts finale in the books and a decision looming on Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch.
Holmes on Terrion Arnold: 'the kid made a mistake'
It took six weeks, but Brad Holmes finally said something out loud about the corner he cut loose. Arnold was arrested in Florida in July on felony charges including armed robbery and kidnapping, and Detroit released him days later; this week, at his annual camp-closing press conference, Holmes put words to it for the first time. "The kid made a mistake. The more information we got throughout the process, that was the result of us doing what the best and right thing was for the club, which was to move forward," Holmes said, per ProFootballTalk.
Lions G.M. Brad Holmes on Terrion Arnold: "The kid made a mistake." t.co/kK6izEMQ4y
The GM has also had to defend what the release left behind at corner. D.J. Reed and Rock Ya-Sin are the starters entering the opener, with Ennis Rakestraw Jr. behind Ya-Sin and camp riser Nick Whiteside pushing for snaps behind Reed, according to the club's initial depth chart. Holmes has pushed back on the idea the room got thin, pointing out Detroit kept 7 corners on the 53 and says he likes every one of their roles.
The gut punch landed days later when Arnold signed with the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks — a blunt reminder of what a first-round pick turns into when the season goes sideways off the field instead of on it.
#Texans worked out and are signing international offensive tackle Max (Maximilian) Pircher (6-foot-7, 320, Brixen, Italy) to their practice squad, per a league source. Previously #Rams #Lions #Seahawks #Commanders #Vikings Erned Super Bowl ring with #Rams Swarco Raiders Tirol in Austrian Football League
Dobbs closed the preseason the way he opened it
Detroit closed the preseason 2-1 with a 25-16 win over the Colts on August 29, and Joshua Dobbs made sure it wasn't a nervy finish: 15 of 19 for 128 yards and 2 touchdowns, with minus-1 yard on 5 carries that says everything about how little he needed his legs against Indianapolis' backups. The signature drive of the night was a 14-play march that ate nearly 8 minutes off the clock, the kind of grinding, run-the-game-out sequence a coaching staff wants to see out of its QB2 before the games start counting.
Colts25-16
Commanders17-13
Bengals14-16Luke Altmyer had it rougher behind him — 7 of 11 for 55 yards, an interception and 2 fumbles, one lost — the kind of afternoon that reads worse in a quiet quarterback room than it did on the scoreboard, which is part of why he didn't survive final cuts. Jake Bates never got a field-goal look and missed 2 of 3 extra points, an odd way for a kicker to leave camp with the games about to matter.
None of that preseason record carries into September; who made the plays does, and Dobbs made his case as the guy Dan Campbell trusts if Jared Goff ever needs a series off.
Gibbs and Campbell got paid — Holmes says LaPorta, Branch are next
Holmes closed his press conference with the two names Lions fans actually wanted to hear about. Asked where things stand on new deals for tight end Sam LaPorta and safety Brian Branch, the GM didn't hedge: "We still want to keep those other guys around. Those plans haven't changed. There's a couple factors that we still got to sort through, but in terms of us wanting those guys around, absolutely. Hopefully we can get that done," Holmes said, per The Detroit News.
It's the natural next step for a front office that already delivered on that promise twice this offseason. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs signed a 3-year, $67.5 million extension that made him the highest-paid running back in NFL history, and linebacker Jack Campbell got 4 years and $81 million, leaving LaPorta and Branch as the last two players from Detroit's 2023 draft class still on rookie money. Gibbs made the investment look easy in the last camp practice, breaking off touchdown runs of 59 and 16 yards, per Tim Twentyman of the team's official site.
Health is the wrinkle holding both deals up. LaPorta is back at full practice after a hip issue briefly slowed him in August, but Branch opened the season on the reserve/PUP list with an Achilles injury that will keep him out at least the first 4 games — exactly the kind of medical evaluation Holmes said still needs sorting before either extension gets signed.
The opener brings Cam Jordan and a Saints pass rush that isn't messing around
Detroit opens the real season Sunday afternoon vs. the Saints at Ford Field, and the name that ought to worry the Lions' rebuilt offensive line isn't a rookie — it's a 15-year veteran who decided he wasn't done. Cam Jordan re-signed for one more year and, despite an ankle issue that popped up in camp, is still atop New Orleans' depth chart at edge, flanked by Chase Young and Carl Granderson in what's shaping up as a legitimately deep front for a team that went 1-2 in the preseason.
The Saints themselves are 0-0 like everybody else, but their most recent look was a 27-24 win at the Cowboys, and wide receiver is thin behind Chris Olave with first-round rookie Jordan Tyson unavailable — which puts more on Jared Goff's protection than on Detroit's own secondary questions. The line opened with Detroit favored by 6.5, and the total was set at 48.5, a number that fits a game with two offenses that would rather outscore you than slow you down.
Whatever the number says, this is still the first snap that counts after a month of exhibition football, and it's the one Dan Campbell has been building his corner room and his backfield toward since March.