Detroit, MI

4 Under-the-Radar Lions That Could Make Impact in Training Camp

Published

2 years ago

July 24, 2024

4 Under-the-Radar Lions That Could Make Impact in Training Camp

The day has finally arrived. The Lions will take the Allen Park practice field for their first full practice of training camp on Wednesday.

With training camp comes a variety of intriguing position battles for Dan Campbell’s squad. Plus, as is the case with every camp, there are bound to be multiple under-the-radar players that catch the attention of fans and pundits alike.

With that said, let’s take a look at four of those types of players that have a chance to make an impact at camp this summer.

TE James Mitchell

Prior to the beginning of last season, Mitchell – a 2022 fifth-round pick – looked like he had a chance to move up the Lions’ tight ends depth chart.

But then, last season came and went, and Mitchell emerged from it with just two catches. Meanwhile, Sam LaPorta took the league by storm, and set all kinds of rookie records, and Brock Wright firmly took control of the No. 2 TE job.

Fast-forward to this summer, and Mitchell will have to fight tooth and nail for a spot on Detroit’s 53-man roster. LaPorta and Wright are firmly entrenched as the team’s top two tight ends, but Mitchell – a third-year pro – does at least have a fighter’s shot to beat out Shane Zylstra for the No. 3 TE job. With a solid enough camp, I believe that Mitchell will do just that.

WR Daurice Fountain

Fountain, with a strong showing in training camp, could be in contention for a spot on the Lions’ 53-man roster.

Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams are locks to be Detroit’s No. 1 and No. 2 receivers. Meanwhile, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Kalif Raymond will battle it out in camp for the No. 3 receiver job. However, the Lions’ depth at receiver is a bit murky after that, which leaves the door open for Fountain.

Fountain, a big-bodied wideout at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, spent most of last season on Detroit’s practice squad. Yet, the former Colts and Chiefs receiver spent OTAs this spring practicing with the first-team offense, and caught the attention of several media members.

“He’s in the mix,” Campbell said of Fountain during OTAs. “I mean, we still have a spot open, I mean, we’ve got a couple of spots. We know what Saint (St. Brown) is, we know what Leaf (Raymond) can bring to the table, we like where Jamo (Jameson Williams) is going. But, I mean, there’s still — you go 11 personnel, we’ve got another spot over there.”

OT Connor Galvin

You can never have enough offensive line depth.

It’s why Galvin, an undrafted rookie free-agent signing by Detroit in 2023, is a dark-horse candidate to make the Lions’ 53-man roster out of camp.

The second-year pro was a preseason standout for Detroit last summer, suiting up for all three exhibition games and recording a Pro Football Focus grade of 79.2. Then, at the end of last season, the front office rewarded his efforts on the team’s practice squad by inking him to a futures deal.

It’s a clear sign of the organization’s confidence in the 24-year-old. And although Colby Sorsdal and Dan Skipper appear to be ahead of him on the depth chart, Galvin should still have a chance to be one of the team’s primary backups at offensive tackle in 2024.

DT Kyle Peko

Peko has a chance to be a very nice depth piece along the interior of the Lions’ defensive line. A free-agent acquisition by Brad Holmes in early May, Peko brings with him 42 games of NFL playing experience. In his career, he’s produced 56 total tackles, including four tackles for loss, two sacks, two passes defensed and a forced fumble.

Most recently, he suited up for the Tennessee Titans, with whom he played in 13 games last year (including 10 starts). During Peko’s lone season in Tennessee, new Lions defensive line coach Terrell Williams was his position coach. With Peko being reunited with Williams in Motown, it should give the 31-year-old defensive lineman a legit shot to claim a roster spot out of camp.

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Detroit, MI

WNBA formally approves Detroit franchise. Where will they play, and when?

Published

4 hours ago

April 10, 2026

Press Room

WNBA formally approves Detroit franchise. Where will they play, and when?

The WNBA is returning to southeast Michigan for the first time since 2009, when the highly decorated Shock moved to Tulsa.

Detroit — It’s official: Detroit is getting its WNBA team.

The WNBA announced Thursday night that its Board of Governors has formally approved previously announced expansion teams for Detroit, Cleveland and Philadelphia.

The WNBA announced in June 2025 its intention to set up shop in each of those cities. Cleveland will begin play in 2028, Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia in 2030.

Detroit’s WNBA team will play its home games at Little Caesars Arena — the third full-time tenant of the building, joining the Pistons and Red Wings — and is expected to have its own standalone practice facility.

This marks a return of the WNBA to Michigan. The Detroit Shock played at The Palace of Auburn Hills from 1998-2009, winning three championships, in 2003, 2006 and 2008, under head coach (and former Pistons “Bad Boy” Bill Laimbeer). The team then was sold and moved to Tulsa, Okla., after longtime Pistons and Palace owner Bill Davidson died in 2009, and the franchise now is the Dallas Wings.

Detroit’s new WNBA team, which has yet to announce a nickname (the Shock remains a possibility, but not a formality), is to be owned by a group of investors led by Pistons owner Tom Gores and wife Holly. The ownership group includes several high-profile investors, including Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp and husband Steve, General Motors CEO Mary Barry and husband, Lions quarterback Jared Goff and wife Christen, former Piston and NBA Hall-of-Famer Grant Hill and wife Tamia, and Fab Five legend Chris Webber, among several others.

Little Caesars Arena is expected to undergo millions in renovations to add in locker-room facilities for the new WNBA team, and a 75,000-square-foot practice facility (along with a 100-square-foot youth sports facility) is planned for east Detroit, near the Belle Isle bridge.

The WNBA, which launched in 1996, has 15 teams, and will expand to 18 by 2030, amid the recent spike in popularity of the sports, with the emergence of star players like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers.

The WNBA and the Players Association recently agreed on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that will see team salary caps rise to $7 million in 2026, from $1.5 million in 2025. Average salaries will approach $600,000.

tpaul@detroitnews.com

@tonypaul1984

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Detroit, MI

Detroit Lions Should Be Greatly Interested in Pittsburgh Steelers Trade Rumor

Published

16 hours ago

April 9, 2026

Press Room

Detroit Lions Should Be Greatly Interested in Pittsburgh Steelers Trade Rumor

The Detroit Lions should be paying close attention to a reported trade rumor involving the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Nick Herbig is entering the final year of his rookie deal. With Jack Sawyer emerging and T.J. Watt recently signing a massive contract extension, there is growing buzz the AFC North must made a move.

It is expected the team could target a pass rusher in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Reporter Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently shared he believes the Steelers could be considering trading a pass rusher this offseason.

“I think the trade would involve someone ahead of him (Herbig],” Dulac shared.

The other two options available would be T.J. Watt or Alex Highsmith. Watt’s contract is prohibitive, but the Lions could be very interested in Highsmith.

According to Steelers On SI, “Chances are, the Steelers could get a second-round pick for Highsmith. He was probably their best edge rusher in 2025 when healthy, and with two years left and only a $20 million and $21 million cap hit the next two years, teams will view him as a cheap option who’s a top 10 edge rusher in the NFL.

“A second-round pick is still very intriguing for a team that’s looking to stack picks in 2027. And here’s the one thing to believe in all of this – the trade would be for 2027. If the Steelers do move Watt or Highsmith, it’s hard to see it happening during the NFL Draft. Instead, they’d likely do it afterward, benefitting them a year later.”

Highsmith recorded 9.5 sacks and 36 tackles last season. Back in 2023, the talented pass rusher signed a four-year, $68 million dollar contract extension to remain in Pittsburgh.

This offseason, Detroit has been fiscally responsible when signing external free agents, inking many to short-term contracts that are not detrimental at all to the salary cap.

To add Highsmith, the Lions would have to do some cap maneuvering.

Detroit added defensive ends D.J. Wonnum and Payton Turner, while parting ways with Al-Quadin Muhammad, who signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

General manager Brad Holmes could also look to the draft to add another pass rusher. Detroit will pick at No. 17 in the first-round, barring any trade up or down.

For more comprehensive Detroit Lions coverage and NFL insider analysis, follow us on X, @detroitpodcast, head on over to our Facebook page and give it a like, subscribe to the Detroit Lions On SI Lone Wolves YouTube Channel.

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Detroit, MI

Closed Detroit behavioral facility faces lawsuit over alleged sex abuse of teen

Published

1 day ago

April 9, 2026

Press Room

Closed Detroit behavioral facility faces lawsuit over alleged sex abuse of teen

A former treatment facility in Detroit is the subject of a newly filed lawsuit, alleging that a teen was sexually abused while there.

The Detroit Behavioral Institute and Acadia Healthcare are listed in a new lawsuit filed in the Wayne County Circuit Court. According to the lawsuit, a 17-year-old was sent to the facility in 2015 and was allegedly sexually abused and groomed by a staff member over the next year.

“When he was restraining her, he’d fondle her and grope her. And it was under this sort of idea that he was calming her down,” said attorney Nicholas Wainwright with Gould, Grieco, and Hensley.

According to the lawsuit, the institute had two locations in Detroit, but the state suspended its license in 2022 after continuous abuse allegations.

Acadia Healthcare currently operates several treatment facilities in Michigan and across the country. CBS News Detroit reached out to the company on Wednesday and is awaiting a response.

“This is a company with a litany of problems at the state and federal level,” Wainwright told CBS News Detroit.

The lawsuit alleges that a staff member went as far as purchasing underwear for the victim.

“He would buy her lacy underwear, have inappropriate conversations about having affairs and cheating on his wife,” Wainwright said.

Last year, several victims filed lawsuits against Detroit Behavioral Institute and Acadia Healthcare, alleging similar accusations. The litigation for that case is still ongoing.

“How are they making sure, when two people restrain a kid, we’re checking to make sure the way they said it went down is the way it went down,” Wainwright said.

Wainwright alleges that the company started putting profits over people, which is when problems began to escalate.

“Then they stop focusing on things like hiring the top tier indivudals to be there, because they cost more money. They start focusing on how we can do this – cheaper and cheaper and cheaper,” Wainwright said.

According to the lawsuit, the victim suffered extreme emotional damage from her time at the facility.

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