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Detroit Lions offensive tackle Dan Skipper (70). Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Observations: Goff Launches Bomb, Skipper Causes Skirmish

Originally posted on Detroit Lions on SI
By John Maakaron | Last updated Aug 14, 2025 2:40 PM ET

The Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins met again on the practice field Thursday for their final joint practice session.

These two teams will meet in a preseason game Saturday, but for starters the focus has solely been on dominating in joint practices. After a strong day on Wednesday, the Lions and coach Dan Campbell were hoping to once again have the nuance of their drill work show up in work against a new opponent.

"I told the guys my focus was, I want to make sure we're on the same page, that we come out of this and there's clear communication," Campbell said. "We don't have these mental errors, 'Oh I thought, you thought, who called this?' That we were on point and our fundamentals showed up. The things that we do in individuals and group and one-on-ones, they needed to show up against a different opponent. As a whole, I thought we did that. The coaching and teaching transferred yesterday, and it's got to do that again today."

Here are observations and takeaways from the Lions' second joint practice with the Miami Dolphins.

Participation report

The Lions welcomed back cornerback Terrion Arnold, as he got team reps after getting strictly individual drill work on Wednesday. Wide receivers Tom Kennedy and Dominic Lovett were also back in action, as was defensive tackle Pat O'Connor.

Wide receiver Tim Patrick and safety Kerby Joseph were out for a second-straight day, while tight end Sam LaPorta, offensive lineman Giovanni Manu and wide receiver Malik Taylor were new absences.

LaPorta is expected to be down for some time with a minor injury, as Campbell said the tight end would miss a little bit of time.

The Lions had a pair of new faces, as offensive lineman Zack Jackson and cornerback Allan George were signed Thursday.

Dolphins offense strikes back early

After the Lions dominated on both sides of the ball on Wednesday, the Dolphins showed signs of life early in practice. Tua Tagovailoa threw two early touchdowns, one to Jaylen Waddle and one to Malik Washington, and Zach Wilson had a scoring throw to Tahj Washington.

Tagovailoa nearly had another big throw to Waddle, but Waddle couldn't hold on. The Lions' defense also had some struggles with penalties, as there were multiple holding penalties on their defense. Detroit's second-team defense had two consecutive holding penalties at one point.

Lions defense rebounds

The Lions were quick to bounce back defensively, as they recovered to keep Miami's offense at bay for most of the session in team periods.

On Miami's first possession, the Lions got big plays from Alex Anzalone and Aidan Hutchinson. The drive began with a short gain on a screen from Tagovailoa to Waddle. Anzalone batted down a Tagovailoa pass, then Hutchinson sacked the quarterback to end the drive.

The Dolphins would get one big play in their next set on a long completion from Tua Tagovailoa to Dee Eskridge. Additionally, Jaylen Wright had a short gain on a run and Tagovailoa connected with Malik Washington.

Anzalone looked solid in coverage Thursday, as he patrolled the middle of the defense and was disciplined in defending a number of screens and short passes that the Dolphins deplouyed. Marcus Davenport also had a solid showing, and got to the quarterback for a sack at one point.

Offensive line gets chippy

Things got chippy in the trenches between the two teams, particularly on the Lions' offensive side of the field. Offensive lineman Dan Skipper got into it with Dolphins linebacker K.J. Britt.

Skipper blocked Britt into the ground and landed on top of him, staying on top of the defender and inciting a reaction from the veteran linebacker.

The two sides were separated by several members of their teams, with Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel jumping in to help separate the two teams.

Williams makes splash play

With Lions OnSI watching the defense on one side of the field, Dolphins OnSI reporter Alain Poupart observed the Lions' offense against the Dolphins' defense and contributed to this report.

The highlight of the day came on the first play of one team period, as Jared Goff hit Jameson Williams on a deep pass for a touchdown. Williams beat a pair of defenders, including former Lion Ifeatu Melifonwu, and let his former teammate know about it after the catch.

Vaki leads second-team offense

The Lions' second-team offense got a boost from running back Sione Vaki, who has recently returned to practice after missing time in camp with an injury. Vaki scored two touchdowns during team periods.

Hendon Hooker and Kyle Allen were both up-and-down, with Hooker looking the better of the two in Thursday's practice. However, Hooker did have a miss when he tried to hit a wide open Zach Horton in the end zone but misfired.

Lions dominate red-zone

Both offenses got work in red-zone drills later in practice. For the Dolphins, Tagovailoa hit tight end Tanner Conner for seven yards, but the Lions would respond in a big way. Brian Branch stuffed a run play, then Alex Anzalone would've had a sack had the play been live contact on the quarterback. Because Anzalone stepped away, Tagovailoa hit Malik Washington for a touchdown.

Detroit, meanwhile, scored on three out of four red-zone snaps. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and David Montgomery all scored for the offense. Goff hit St. Brown with

One-minute drill

To end practice, both teams let their offenses take the field for a one-minute drill starting around midfield.

Miami's offense couldn't get going. Tua Tagovailoa threw incomplete on first down, then had a checkdown to Jaylen Wright that set up third down. Tagovailoa threw behind Dee Eskridge, then had a pass intended for Tarik Black fall incomplete as the Lions forced a turnover on downs.

Detroit was able to get moving. Jared Goff hit Shane Zylstra for a completion early in the drive before a sack halted their momentum. However, Goff was able to rebound by hitting St. Brown for a first-down.

After a spike, Goff found Jameson Williams on a short gain to the 19-yard line. Yet, the Lions were also unable to get into the end zone as Melifonwu broke up the final pass.

Quick hitters

1.) Detroit's International Fan of the Year, Marius Dell, was at practice Thursday and was observed speaking with Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders.

2.) The Lions' first-team kick returners were Grant Stuard and Sione Vaki during special teams drills.

3.) Among the notable figures in attendance for practice Thursday were NFL reporter Jordan Schultz, Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson and Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.

4.) Campbell caught up with Miami Dolphins linebacker Jordan Phillips, and the two discussed their memories of their pre-draft meeting when Phillips was coming out of college.

This article first appeared on Detroit Lions on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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