WR Titus Young returned to practice Monday after missing the Lions' preseason opener and Sunday's practice to attend the birth of his first child -- and had his best workout of camp.
Young's play has improved since he returned to the Lions following an offseason incident with teammate Louis Delmas, but he took his already stellar camp effort to a dominant level during Monday's drills. He was routinely matched against CB Bill Bentley, and a series of veteran double moves off the line of scrimmage often left the rookie CB chasing his tail.
Jim Schwartz attributed part of Young's performance to his extended rest, but he said the skills Young displayed could serve the Lions well. “When a guy does miss some time and he’s healthy, like Titus, you should see a difference and I think we did,” Schwartz said. “But he caught the ball very well today too.”
DE Vanden Bosch “week-to-week” following knee injury: DE Kyle Vanden Bosch, who hasn't practiced since before the Lions' preseason opener, is being evaluated on a week-to-week basis after it was revealed that he injured his knee last week. Vanden Bosch's absence had been attributed to “soreness,” so the news that his rehab could take longer than expected is concerning. Jim Schwartz said Vanden Bosch was also being held out of practice because the intensity with which he completes drills could aggravate his injury. “Kyle can’t temper himself, so we have to sort of temper him a little bit,” Schwartz said. “As soon as we can, we’ll get him back out there, but it just makes sense to shut him down right now.”
Rookie CBs struggle in coverage: The solid performance of Titus Young and the Lions' other WRs Monday came at the expense of young DBs Bentley and Jonte Green. Bentley's performance was a significant dip in his production from the opening two weeks of camp. It will be interesting to track his progress Tuesday to see how he recovers from a workout where his play wasn't up to the expected standards.
Based on his performance in camp, Green's lackluster coverage Monday was more representative of the rule rather than the exception when evaluating his play. He has made some stellar plays in drills, but those moments are fewer an farther between than they should be for an impact player. His inability to recover after allowing receivers to gain initial separation is a problem. If Green can stay with receivers, his skills as a defender could get him playing time.
Short turnaround time sidelines Broyles: WR Ryan Broyles missed Monday's workout after participating fully in Sunday's afternoon practice. His inability to take part in consecutive workouts is concerning, but the 16-hour gap between the practices likely caused Lions trainers to take a cautious approach to guard against swelling in Broyles' knee. Detroit has morning practices each of the next two days. If Broyles is available for both, it will represent a major step forward in his rehab progress.
Follow Lions reporter John Kreger on Twitter at @CBSSportsNFLDET and @JohnKreger.
