'There's one spot, go earn it,' get ready for the most fun battle of the Lions' offseason, the fatal 4-way

The Detroit Lions training camp will be here before you know.m Since the team is playing in the Hall of Fame game, they're opting to cancel their mandatory mini-camp and start training camp early. 

There's going to be plenty of camp battles going down this summer. Kyle Allen vs Hendon Hooker for the QB2 spot is one, Sione Vaki vs Craig Reynolds for the RB3 spot is another. Those will be fun, but there's just one where the most amount of guys are vying for one spot. That's the Safety four spot. 

Lions defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend met with local media on Thursday, and the safety position came up. Obviously, Kerby Joseph and Brianc Branch are set in stone, but he also announced what we all knew would happen, and that's Avonte Maddox being the third safety. 

When it comes to Loren Strickland, Morice Norris, Dan Jackson, and Erik Hallet, Townsend simply said, "There's one spot. Go earn it." These four guys are very hungry, and they're going to be looking for their spot. Let's talk about each combatant.

Loren Strickland

An undrafted free agent in last year's draft, Strickland wowed the Lions right away with his hard-hitting play on special teams. He did well enough to get a spot on the 53-man roster out of camp. He never played on defense in 2024, but he played well on special teams. 

Strickland was waived in early December to make room for Maurice Alexander after Kalif Raymond's injury. He was signed to the practice squad two days later.

Morice Norris

My personal favorite among the group because of the versatility he brings. He's played safety, nickel corner, and outside corner. I call him Diet Brian Branch. He was also a UDFA last year. 

Norris was signed to the active roster in late December and wound up getting his first real action out of necessity in the Divisional round. He got beat up a little, but what do you expect from a guy getting his first main roster snaps in a playoff game? 

Dan Jackson 

The Lions took Jackson in the seventh round of this year's draft, and he doesn't just get that spot because the team used a draft pick on him. He has to earn it just like everyone else.

Jackson was a third-team All-SEC last year and helped the Bulldogs win two National Championships. He has a lot of special-teams ability, but can he stand out on defense if need be? We're going to find out. 

Erick Hallet

There's something about this guy the Lions like. In 2024, the Lions signed him to the practice squad and waived him three different times before signing him to a futures deal at the end of the year. That's usually indicative that they like the player, but just couldn't hold onto him at the time. But they intended to bring him back. 

Hallett has never actually played for the Lions before. He's never suited up for a game. He did spend two seasons with Townsend in Jacksonville and showed some promise, though.