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The Detroit Lions held their final day of OTAs on Thursday, and at practice, they announced some troubling news.
There’s no way one could say the Detroit Lions‘ OTAs, their organized team activities, this week were uneventful. Quite the oppositive. The Lions delivered a lot of news over this past week, and unfortunately, some of it wasn’t great.
To start, the Lions announced that center Frank Ragnow would be retiring, which was a total surprise. Ragnow took to social media to announce the news on Monday, May 2, explaining that he would be leaving the NFL after only seven seasons. Ragnow was a first-round pick in 2018.
Now, the OTAs have brought some injury news that isn’t great.
Detroit Lions Player Underwent Surgery
The Detroit Lions’ final day of OTAs was Thursday, June 5, and it was the last time the team will be on the field together until the end of July for training camp. Detroit was going to have veteran mandatory minicamp from June 10 through 12, but they held off because of being selected for the the Hall of Fame game.
GettyAmon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions
That said, one Lions star shared why he was unavailable for OTAs following Thursday’s practice. According to Detroit Lions reporter Tim Twentyman, during OTAs, “Amon-Ra St. Brown told reporters he had a cleanup knee surgery in the offseason, but should be ready for training camp.”
While that’s frustrating news, St. Brown not being as available early in training camp could mean another Lions receiver will get some experience on the field. Even though St. Brown said he “should be ready for training camp,” it would make sense that he might not start out training camp 100%.
St. Brown is considered the top wide receiver for the Lions down the field. In 2024 season, he had 1,263 receiving yards, 12 touchdowns and a 115 receptions, the latter which was the most for the Lions. So, him missing OTAs is a bummer.
On a positive note, Twentyman also said head coach Dan Campbell commented that, “two players who have stood out this spring are RB Jahmyr Gibbs and WR Jameson Williams.”
Also good is that the team’s OTAs didn’t end in a massive fight, which is what happened with the New York Giants.
More Observations from the Detroit Loins’ OTAs
Other players could benefit from St. Brown not being available right now. As Candace Pedraza of SideLion Report noted in a June 5 piece, “Williams is getting a lot more attention as a result. And, given how high basically everyone on the Lions’ staff seems to be about Williams headed into the 2025 season, it’s a good thing that he’s getting the focus on offense from Goff.”
He adds that “This also allows for rookie Isaac TeSlaa to likely get more attention in OTAs. The 3rd round pick for the Lions has been hailed for his athleticism and strength, but we didn’t get to see too much of his pass catching abilities at Arkansas due to inconsistent quarterback play there.”
In a June 5 feature for the Detroit Lions, Twentyman also stated that with Terrion Arnold not doing OTA practices, it’s meant more opportunity for guys like second-year cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. to show their stuff. “Campbell said Rakestraw is one of the players who has stood out this spring. He also said the best players are ultimately going to play,” he added.
Anne Erickson is an award-winning reporter for Heavy Sports covering the NFL, NBA and college football. Anne Erickson has years of experience covering the NFL and additional sports, and her work has been published via ESPN, Fox Sports and more. She has interviewed some of the biggest names in sports, including Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff. Erickson also hosts several podcasts and is a Detroit-based radio host. More about Anne Erickson
