Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn pointed out why linebacker Anthony Pittman has stood out to him during his media availability on Tuesday.
"A guy that really stands out is Pittman," Glenn told reporters after practice. "I mean, he’s making plays on the ball, he’s running to the ball. You see the physical nature of him. There’s a lot of things about that player I like."
Pittman, 24, was signed as an undrafted free agent back in 2019.
Throughout his first couple of seasons in the NFL, he has spent the majority of his time on the Lions practice squad.
With those ahead of him on the depth chart missing time with injury -- linebacker Jahlani Tavai and rookie Derrick Barnes -- Pittman has earned reps with the second-team defense at the middle linebacker position.
On Monday, Pittman made the most impactful defensive play of the practice when he intercepted a David Blough pass that would have turned into a pick-six in live action.
He told reporters that he was in "sink-back" coverage, read Blough's eyes and undercut the pass.
"I think he saw me, he tried to squeeze it past me. I feel like he felt I didn't have enough depth, but I kind of sunk back and just grabbed it," Pittman said via the Detroit Free Press.
Would Dan Campbell recommend soft helmets for players to prevent injuries?
Quarterback Matthew Stafford is expected to miss a couple of days of practice after hitting his hand on a helmet in practice.
During Tuesday's media session, head coach Dan Campbell was asked if he would consider having his team use a soft helmet to aid in preventing injuries.
“It's funny because (General Manager) Brad Holmes and I talked about it in the spring. I remember it came up and it crossed my mind and I was talking to (Senior Defensive Assistant) Dom Capers because Dom was out there in Minnesota last year. I know they had kind of begun that last year," Campbell said. "It crossed my mind, but yet there was something I didn't feel like -- I talked to a couple of guys and they're like, ‘I'm not going to wear that thing.’ So I just kind of left it alone. I did actually think about it because I know it's supposed to help to reduce anything that comes up, concussions, things of that nature. Certainly like you said, if a quarterback is following through. We thought about it, but that was kind of as far as it went.”
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