Detroit Lions' biggest takeaways from 2nd joint practice with Giants

Mike Moraitis

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Detroit Lions' biggest takeaways from 2nd joint practice with Giants image

The Detroit Lions and New York Giants wrapped up their 2024 joint practices on Tuesday in what was another wild session that saw plenty of fights. Now, both teams will turn their attention to their preseason Week 1 game on Thursday.

The fight club kicked off when a brawl broke out between safety Kerby Joseph and wide receiver Malik Nabers, with both players throwing several punches.

Things only got more heated as practice went on, and so much so that the final period had to be cut short. Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux and Lions corner Khalil Dorsey also exchanged blows late in practice.

But, believe it or not, actual football practice took place, also. We'll go over all the biggest takeaways from it based on beat writer observations below.

Lions joint practice takeaways

Injury updates

Head coach Dan Campbell gave several injury updates before practice, and all but one were positive. The negative one was for cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, who reported suffered a torn pec. Moseley is out indefinitely, but Campbell did say he could return late in the season.

Cornerback Terrion Arnold left practice early on Monday after taking a massive block from Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas. After being evaluated for a concussion, Arnold was cleared and practiced on Tuesday.

Campbell also provided injury updates on tight end Sam LaPorta (hamstring), guard Kevin Zeitler (shoulder), linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (undisclosed) and defensive back Ifeatu Melifonwu (undisclosed). None of them practiced on Tuesday, but none of their injuries are considered serious.

Campbell added that Melifonwu will likely be involved in the competition for the slot cornerback job, which also includes Amik Robertson and may or may not include Ennis Rakestraw.

Jake Bates shaky again

According to Colton Pouncy of The Athletic, Bates made 6-of-9 attempts during joint practice. His makes were from 34, 37, 41, 50 and 53, and his misses came from 46, 50 and 50.

It was nice to see a few makes from 50-plus, but still not a great showing for him. One has to wonder when the Lions are going to bring in some competition, because they need to.

A better day for the Lions' offense

After what was a less-than stellar showing from the offense on Monday, Detroit seemed to rebound on Tuesday, as noted by Nick Falato of Big Blue View.

"The Giants had their moments, but they weren’t as competitive as they were in yesterday’s practice," Falato wrote. "The Lions quickly scored in the red zone period and seemed to run the football with ease against the Giants’ first-team defense."

Falato added that the Lions scored three touchdowns in six red zone plays.

Lions lose pass-rush drill

Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com noted that the Giants' offensive line got the better of the Lions' defensive line in the pass-rush drill, with New York winning 22 reps to Detroit's 16. Twentyman adds that there were a few draws in there.

Alim McNeill stands out

McNeill shined during the first joint practice on Monday, and it was more of the same on Tuesday, per Twentyman.

"By far the most dominant player by either team in the drill was Lions defensive lineman Alim McNeill," he wrote. "I had him winning three of his four reps in dominating fashion by walking the offensive lineman right back into the quarterback."

First-team reps for Fountain, Davis

Per Twentyman, the Lions gave Kaden Davis and Daurice Fountain some reps with the first-team offense.

"Daurice Fountain is really gaining the respect of the coaching staff," Twentyman said. "He was with St. Brown and Williams in the first three-receiver set of the team period Tuesday. Another player getting some first-team reps over the last two days was Kaden Davis. Both have made plays here in joint practices too and are players to keep an eye on in Thursday's preseason game."

Terrion Arnold vs. Malik Nabers

We saw two clips of Malik Nabers and Terrion Arnold going at it on Tuesday, with each player winning one.

The one Arnold won came right before Nabers and Joseph threw hands. It saw the Alabama product blanket Nabers, making it impossible for him to reel-in the catch.

But Nabers got the better of him on this one.

"Arnold gave up some plays in camp early but has really learned from those," Twentyman wrote. "The kid can cover and has earned his first-team reps."

Arnold's first offseason in the NFL has been impressive. It'll be fun to see him in an actual game, which will hopefully happen in preseason Week 1.

Mike Moraitis

Mike Moraitis Photo

After cutting his teeth with Bleacher Report, Mike Moraitis has covered the Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans for FanSided, and the Titans and New York Giants for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. On top of his duties with Sporting News, Mike is the managing editor and lead writer for Titans Wire.