Lions camp observations: Jameson Williams' yack and rally and flashes of dominance from Aidan Hutchinson

Justin Rogers | Detroit Football Network

Allen Park – Here are some notes and observations from the Detroit Lions' Wednesday training camp practice, their first of the 2024 season. 

*** Have you ever gone too hard at the gym after a longer-than-normal lull of not working out? You know what I'm talking about, where that last rep on the bench leads you to the garbage can to unleash the fury of your pre-workout shake. 

I'm not saying that's what happened with wide receiver Jameson Williams this afternoon, but it certainly had that appearance. In the early stages of practice, the speedy No. 2 receiver split the downfield coverage of rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold and safety Ifeatu Melifonwu for a long touchdown catch, building on deep ball improvements Williams has shown all offseason. 

And as Williams often does, he celebrated the play, racing across the goal line, spiking the ball and hurdling the barrier between the field and the temporary bleachers that will house fans later this week.

But on his way back to the huddle, Williams doubled over and provided a healthy volume of fertilizer for the grass. 

It likely had nothing to do with being in shape. Williams is lean and mean as ever. More than likely it was a stomach bug or too much breakfast. Either way, Williams was able to yack and rally, returning to practice several minutes later. 

*** Backup quarterback Hendon Hooker started practice with some of the same inconsistent accuracy we witnessed earlier this offseason, but settled into a pretty good groove later in the morning. He had a really nice stretch where he put a back-shoulder fade where only Daurice Fountain could get it, followed by a tight-window bullet on a comebacker to rookie Jalon Calhoun. 

The Fountain reception was the best of the day, although he might have drawn a flag for pushing off against cornerback Kindle Vildor. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound receiver leaped fading away from the throw, fully extending to make the grab near the sideline, showcasing rare-for-the-roster size and high-point ability that makes him one to watch for a job as this offseason progresses. 

*** Sticking with the quarterback position, Nate Sudfeld looked sharp and is making sure he gets strong consideration to be Jared Goff's backup this season. Sudfeld is a good processor and reasonably accurate at all levels, including a pretty deep ball to Calhoun that split the coverage of the deep safety and cornerback. 

Obviously a nice practice for the undrafted receiver out of Duke, by the way.

*** Aidan Hutchinson looks primed for a breakout, making the jump from really good to elite. That was highlighted by a dominant three-play stretch where he beat the crossing backfield block of running back Craig Reynolds for a would-be sack, sliced inside to stuff a run, before executing a vicious spin move for another sack that left All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell grasping at air. 

*** Brian Branch was activated off the physically unable to perform list ahead of practice, but was limited to walkthrough and individual drills. What was notable is the second-year defensive back out of Alabama was going through those reps at safety with the first-team defense, opposite Kerby Joseph. 

Replacing Branch at nickel was Emmanuel Moseley, which is a little bit more of an unexpected position tweak. Mind you, the Lions were missing some pieces on Wednesday, including Amik Robertson, who had been seeing most of the first-team nickel work through the early portion of the offseason program. Let’s give the situation some time to develop before making any Week 1 assumptions.

*** After spending a lot of time repping with the third- and fourth-string defenses last offseason, James Houston was getting some run with the second unit. That bumped John Cominsky down to the third team, but with an authoritative run stop on one of his first full-team reps of the day, it might be a short stay for "The Commish." 

*** The team's first padded practice will be Monday, according to coach Dan Campbell. There is a mandatory four-day acclimation period to begin camp before the pads can come on.