Detroit, MI
5 Storylines to Watch During Lions’ Mandatory Minicamp
For the first time this offseason, the Detroit Lions will conduct mandatory team workouts.
From June 4-6, the Lions will host their mandatory minicamp at their Allen Park facility. The team will be out in full force, as many veterans who sat out the optional period will be required to participate. As a result, it will offer a full look at what the Lions have to offer.
For Dan Campbell’s group, it is a chance for the team to take its first steps toward their hopes of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
Here are five storylines to follow throughout the Lions’ three-day mandatory minicamp.
Open opportunities
The Lions won’t have their roster in full force for mandatory minicamp, as some players will sit out while rehabbing injuries. Namely, the safety position could have an interesting look with Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph sidelined.
As a result, some unheralded players could get a bigger look during the three-day event. Players such as Brandon Joseph and undrafted rookies Loren Strickland and Chelen Garnes could be the beneficiaries and spend some time on elevated defensive units.
No roster spots will be won in June, but players can certainly begin to form impressions on the coaching staff with a strong performance during minicamp.
Jamo’s growth
Campbell spoke about Jameson Williams being the team’s most improved player ahead of the start of OTAs. Yet, he has had up-and-down performances during the two open sessions of OTAs.
With minicamp offering the opportunity for reporters to get a thorough look at the practices, this upcoming week should create a strong look at what Williams has to offer for the Lions in 2024. Is he going to simply be a deep threat? Or will he have more to offer for the offense.
Williams should statistically improve on last year’s numbers, but the opportunity is available for him to be a big time contributor for the offense. He can take more steps in the right direction with a strong performance at minicamp.
Extended look at Hendon Hooker
Much like Williams, Hendon Hooker is a player who has garnered a lot of attention throughout the offseason. After missing most of his rookie year to rehab a torn ACL, Hooker is getting his first taste of a full NFL offseason.
He has been spotty in open practices to this point, so the three-day evaluation period should allow for more concrete observations as to his status. The Lions will give Hooker opportunities to claim the backup job, but he must perform in order to earn it.
Hooker has a ways to go before training camp, so minicamp should provide the baseline for his development heading into the final week of OTAs.
Cornerback rotations
The Lions have a revamped cornerback room, and as a result they have several ways they could combine their pieces. Carlton Davis appears to be the number one option, but the team has several ways it could go.
This is a luxury that defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has not had since coming to Detroit. It will be intriguing to see how the Lions mix and match their options including Davis, rookies Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw, Emmanuel Moseley and free agent Amik Robertson.
Additionally, incumbents Kindle Vildor, Khalil Dorsey and Steven Gilmore will also be fighting for reps. It should be a very competitive three days for this position group.
Undrafted standouts
One storyline to follow throughout the offseason pertains to the undrafted rookies. In each of Campbell’s first three seasons, at least one undrafted rookie has made the final roster out of camp. As a result, the odds are with someone within this year’s crop making the team.
Could it be kicker James Turner defeating Michael Badgley in the kicking competition? Or one of three undrafted centers edging out a young offensive lineman for a depth spot? There’s also plenty of intriguing defensive players.
One other player to keep an eye on is Illinois’ Isaiah Williams. The undrafted wideout profiles as a slot receiver, but could also be of impact in the return game with the new kickoff rules.
Detroit, MI
Kevin McGonigle crushes 1st MLB home run for Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch on Kevin McGonigle’s home opener
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch spoke about how rookie infielder Kevin McGonigle experienced his first home game as a Tiger, April 3, 2026.
Kevin McGonigle finally has his first home run in the major leagues.
McGonigle, the Detroit Tigers’ sensational rookie, blasted a ball 408 feet to deep right field off Miami Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcántara on Sunday, April 12, at Comerica Park, giving the Tigers a 4-0 lead in the fifth inning.
McGonigle hit the ball with a 108.8 mph exit velocity.
Alcántara, the 2022 National League Cy Young award winner, threw him a first-pitch 97 mph four-seam fastball.
Celebrate Kevin McGonigle on Tigers with this Free Press print
McGonigle, in his 16th game this season, is hitting .310, behind only Colt Keith on the Tigers. McGonigle has six doubles.
“Fly ball, right field, deep, got a chance, No. 1 for Kevin McGonigle!” Dan Dickerson said on the TV broadcast.
McGonigle previously twice crushed a ball to the wall earlier this season, only to result in a loud out.
Against the San Diego Padres in his second MLB game March 27, McGonigle was robbed of a home run in center field by Jackson Merrill. He hit the ball 403 feet, connecting for a 104.2 mph exit velocity.
In his first at-bat in the Tigers’ home opener April 3, against the St. Louis Cardinals, McGonigle again smashed a ball 403 feet, with a 103.5 mph exit velo to the warning track in left-center. It would have been a home run in 12 MLB parks − but not at Comerica Park.
Celebrate Kevin McGonigle’s MLB debut with this Detroit Free Press print
McGonigle’s Opening Day debut is worth framing and the Free Press has a page print for you.
Follow our Tigers coverage all year long: freep.com/sports/tigers
Detroit, MI
Boos rain down on Red Wings after missing playoffs for 10th straight season
Detroit Red Wings missed the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season after 5-3 loss to New Jersey.
Red Wings missed the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season after 5-3 loss to New Jersey.
Detroit — The boos were loud and stinging and showed how frustrated Red Wings fans are.
They rained down after the Wings’ 5-3 loss to New Jersey, officially eliminating the Wings from the Stanley Cup playoffs, and during the final minutes as the Wings struggled to generate a goal and at least earn a point for the standings.
They didn’t score. They lost. And fans let them hear about it.
The Wings now own the longest streak of not making the playoffs in the NHL, at 10 consecutive seasons. Without a doubt, fans aren’t happy about it.
Coach and players understood the booing, accepted it as the fans simply not being happy with the same outcome now, season after season.
“This is Detroit, this is Hockeytown,” said coach Todd McLellan, who was an assistant coach on the Wings’ last Stanley Cup winning team in 2008. “I’ve been lucky enough to be on the other side of it, when they couldn’t stop cheering for this team. They’re dying for that. They crave that.
“That’s what they want, and I don’t even know if they want a Stanley Cup championship anymore. They just want a team that will come and give them something to cheer about.”
Players in the last few weeks referenced the “outside noise” from fans, alluding to the pressure or negativism from fans, and they have been attempting to keep it outside of the locker room.
The fans, said McLellan, have the right to express their opinions after 25 consecutive years of making the playoffs with four Stanley Cups during that timeframe.
“This outside noise stuff or whatever, that’s inside noise, those are our fans in our building and they pay to watch us play, and we get paid well to perform for them,” McLellan said. “They’re fulling entitled to their opinion and we deserve that opinion.
“There’s no other way to sugarcoat it. That’s what we earned.”
Captain Dylan Larkin said it was “difficult” to hear the booing.
“Our fans are great, they are passionate and they care about winning,” Larkin said. “There’s been some great years here and they want us back to that. That’s what they expect here.”
Lucas Raymond said it “stinks” to end the season the way the Wings did, and have fans boo at Little Caesars Arena.
“We had a clear goal coming into this year and we didn’t do it,” Raymond said. “We had plenty of opportunities throughout this season and especially down the stretch.”
McLellan feels the Wings need to do a better job of facing and conquering the pressure and challenge of meaningful games late in the season.
“I felt a little bit of that last year, I’ve lived a year of it now and it’s there,” said McLellan of the external pressure. “But we keep earning that. We earned that pressure and that outside (“noise”) but you can except the pressure as challenge or you can succumb to it and we seem to choose the second one (succumb to it).
“That’s the way it is and the only way you get out of it is, you work your way out of it.”
tkulfan@detroitnews.com
@tkulfan
Detroit Red Wings sign autographs after season’s final home game
Marco Kasper, Simon Edvinsson, Emmitt Finnie and the rest of the Red Wings signed hockey sticks for fans after the game
Detroit, MI
Metro Detroit Weather Forecast, April 11, 2026 — 8:15 AM Update
NEWS
4Warn Meteorologist Bryan Schuerman talks about the dry start to the weekend before rain and thunderstorm chances move back in by the end of the weekend.
The 4Warn Weather team tracks the latest weather alerts in Metro Detroit and Southeast Michigan. Get the most updated information here: https://www.clickondetroit.com/weather/
-
Atlanta, GA1 week ago1 teenage girl killed, another injured in shooting at Piedmont Park, police say
-
Georgia5 days agoGeorgia House Special Runoff Election 2026 Live Results
-
Pennsylvania6 days agoParents charged after toddler injured by wolf at Pennsylvania zoo
-
Arkansas2 days agoArkansas TV meteorologist Melinda Mayo retires after nearly four decades on air
-
Milwaukee, WI6 days agoPotawatomi Casino Hotel evacuated after fire breaks out in rooftop HVAC system
-
Indianapolis, IN1 week agoFighting Illini begin Final Four preparations in Indianapolis
-
Technology1 week agoAnthropic essentially bans OpenClaw from Claude by making subscribers pay extra
-
Austin, TX5 days agoABC Kite Fest Returns to Austin for Annual Celebration – Austin Today