Detroit Lions: Recapping the Latest Buzz Heading into Training Camp

The Detroit Lions will be the last team to report to training camp. Rookies and injured players have to be in town by July 28, and the veterans have until August 2.

No wonder players love playing for head coach Jim Caldwell.

That layoff has left the rumor mill running a bit low, but that doesn't mean the well has completely gone dry. That's the nature of the NFL in 2015. It never sleeps.

Luckily for you, I prefer coffee to rest and reading to spending time with people. So click through to find out the latest tidbits leaking out from Allen Park.

No One-Year Receiving Wonder

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Golden Tate set personal records in 2014 with 99 catches for 1,331 yards. Apparently, he is a greedy man because that wasn't enough for him. Here's betting nobody in Detroit minds.

His big concern is keeping his body healthy because, as he told Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press, "the season will break it down." And aside from healthy eating, Tate is also leaning on one of society's latest trends:

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I'm trying to ease into it. I'm not ready for the (harder) yoga because I don't have my breathing down. So I've just been going to the Green Yogi (studio in California). It's warm in there, but it's not overwhelming.

I'm just trying to loosen up my (hamstrings) and my hips, my groin, just so I can get a longer stride. Just trying to set myself up to get better this year. The older I get, the more people want to say, 'He's losing a step.' In my case, I want 'the older I get, the better he's getting.' 

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NFL players might not talk about it too often, but they have turned to all sorts of alternative workouts to get ready for the season. In fact, Hall of Famer Lynn Swann used ballet to add flexibility and lower the chance of an injury.

Tate was one of the few things that actually went right for the offense last year. If he can team with a healthy Calvin Johnson for the entire year, the offense will be in a great position to succeed.

One Year Also Doesn't Define This Wide Receiver

Uncredited/Associated Press

While the top two receivers have been set since Golden Tate signed a year ago, the bottom of the depth chart is a complete mystery. And perhaps no player embodies that sense of the unknown more than T.J. Jones.

The former Notre Dame receiver (sensing a theme so far?) missed his entire rookie year because of a shoulder injury that required surgery. He had hoped to be back after Week 8, but Detroit never took him off the PUP list.

Despite the pressure, he told Monarrez that he's going about his business without giving it any thought:

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That's up to [the coaches]. For me, I don't really have an expectation. It's more I'm going out to get back to what I can do best, to work on doing everything I can do to the best of my ability and letting the coaches kind of decide where that falls, in their mind. I'm not trying to worry on what I can't control.

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There hasn't been any indication of which players are leading the battle at this point. Jones showed his sure hands while grabbing 120 passes over his last two years in college, but the missed reps from last season could hurt him. Either way, it appears he has his head in the right place.

But One Offseason Has Changed a Position Battle

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It was assumed that Tyrunn Walker would be the starter next to Haloti Ngata. He signed a one-year deal with the hopes of scaling out his solid reserve production (14 hurries and three sacks in 306 snaps, per Pro Football Focus) to big minutes and cash in with a big deal next year.

Unfortunately for him, nobody told Caraun Reid. Probably because they couldn't find him.

Reid spent his offseason with Ndamukong Suh, learning the ins and outs of how to eat, train and study film. Yet one lesson in particular has stuck with Reid, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press:

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Just a great mentor, a great friend. (He helped me) get into sort of a lifestyle in which you really are a true professional athlete. Take everything seriously, don't take anything for granted and make sure you're on top of everything. That's the main thing he's taught me.

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It's safe to say that Walker has learned that lesson too.

Detroit's defense won't be as defensive-tackle centric as it has been, and that's OK considering the talent throughout all three levels. However, a new Reid and a motivated Walker give the Lions hope that replacing their three defensive tackles won't be as problematic as originally assumed.

And Change Can Be Good, Even If It's Just for One Year

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

The Lions launched their campaign to compensate for the loss of Ndamukong Suh by trading for Haloti Ngata. But he's on the last year of a large contract, and there haven't been any reports of extension negotiations.

So it's possible that Detroit could have to replace its starting defensive tackles again next offseason.

It's too early to get worked up about that prospect, though. Ngata, for his part, is focused on learning a new defense that asks him to do a lot more attacking than he's used to, but he finds the challenge "exciting," per Monarrez.

Meanwhile, some writers are debating if Ngata has enough left in the tank to replace Suh. Jeff Dickerson told Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com that Ngata has "no chance," and Rob Demovsky went a complete different direction. He said, "Help? Perhaps. Completely make up for? Not a chance."

The proper opinion is more likely that of ESPN.com beat writer Ben Goessling:

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Yes, but I don’t think this group is going to be as dynamic as it was with Suh. The Lions are asking Ngata to turn into more of a penetrating tackle than a player who occupies blockers, and after he spent nine years doing the latter in Baltimore, I don’t know how explosive he’ll be. 

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It's going to be an interesting year in the middle for Detroit. But don't despair. As we discussed on the last slide, this will be a greater team effort than 2014, and the defense should still be competitive.

Plus, Tony Dungy Believes One Year Can Make a Champion

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Lions beat writers have all sung the same tune this offseason. Every report has discussed Matthew Stafford's increased accuracy or Golden Tate's confidence in an improving team, providing hope that the offense is ready to turn it around.

Now another analyst has thrown his hat into the ring, and his comes with a Super Bowl feather. Tony Dungy explained to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com why he believes it's Detroit's time:

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When you have players who are anxious to learn and who are buying into the system and doing what the coaches ask, and you have a staff that is going to teach, then you do see those improvements. You see individual improvements and you see group improvements.

That’s why I’m kind of looking to see the Lions this year because the biggest jump we had as a team (when I was coaching) was after the first year in that second year.

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Sure, this could be a case of one friend publicly propping up another, but does Jim Caldwell really need it? He took the Lions to 11 wins and the playoffs in his first year. By state law, he's allowed to move into the Capitol Building and use a police siren to avoid waiting at traffic lights. He doesn't need the help.

It's more probable that the former player and coach knows how things work in the NFL. If the team can secure improvement from its young players and its offense, the big storyline of last March will be forgotten by January.

All advanced stats, grades and positional rankings are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.