Detroit Lions OTAs begin on Tuesday. Here are 10 things we’ll be watching for during the action.

The Detroit Lions begin their four-week “Organized Team Activity” (OTA) period on Tuesday. It’s the first time all offseason that the full Lions roster will be permitted to conduct 7-on-7, 9-on-7s, and 11-on-11s. Although they will still not be permitted to have any sort of live contact, it’s our first look at the 2024 team and a chance to have many of our lingering offseason questions answered.

Here are 10 things I’ll be looking out for.

1. Injury updates

During the draft, we saw Brian Branch moving around on a scooter, but we have yet to receive any explanation as to why. He hasn’t been showing up in any offseason workout photo galleries either, so he seems unlikely to be participating in OTAs this week. But media opportunities with Dan Campbell should give us some answers.

Other players to look out for are Derrick Barnes (injured in the NFC Championship game), DJ Reader (recovering from a torn quad), Kerby Joseph (offseason surgery) and Emmanuel Moseley (recovering from an ACL tear).

2. First look at Hendon Hooker

While Hooker participated in his first NFL practices late last year, the media only got to see warm-ups. This will be our first opportunity to see a full practice out of the 2023 third-round pick, which will undoubtedly include some 11-on-11 drills.

Obviously, the starting job is not up for grabs with Jared Goff now locked up for the next five years, but it will be fascinating to see what the Lions have in their primary backup.

3. Will Terrion Arnold break the starting lineup?

Detroit typically opens with their rookies down on the depth chart and makes them earn a spot with the starters. So on Day 1, do not expect first-round pick Terrion Arnold to be with the starters. But the Lions also don’t mess around if the best player at a position is a rookie. So Arnold could theoretically win a spot by the end of spring.

4. How will the rest of the secondary shake out?

There are a ton of questions in the secondary beyond Arnold’s place. Will second-round pick Ennis Rakestraw Jr. continue to play nickel? Who else may slide inside—particularly with Brian Branch’s availability in doubt? Who will start opposite Carlton Davis: Arnold, Amik Robertson, or someone else? And who else will stand out at safety beyond Kerby Joseph and Ifeatu Melifonwu? With Joseph not expected to participate, there will be plenty of opportunities for Detroit’s depth to shine.

5. Who will be playing where on the new kickoff?

The Lions are being a little protective over what details we can report on during the new kickoff, so you may not get a lot of information here. But I will be taking a lot of notes and being diligent about which positions the Lions are placing where on special teams.

Will they be eyeing a different type of returner? Will they prefer bigger, stronger players on special teams, or still value speed and agility? The Lions have been scheming plans since before the new rule was even adopted, so they’ve been thinking about this for a while.

6. Does Jameson Williams look primed to be WR2?

The Lions only subtracted at the receiver position this offseason, which means Williams is primed for a significant role in Year 3. While the 23-year-old receiver showed some promise toward the end of last season, he still has a lot to prove. I’ll be looking to see if he’s increased his route tree, developed better chemistry with Jared Goff, and if he’s continued to improve with his hands.

7. Has Donovan Peoples-Jones or Antoine Green developed chemistry with Jared Goff?

In order for the Lions offense to hum, they’ll not only need Williams to improve, but they’ll need the rest of the receiver room to take a big step. Peoples-Jones wasn’t much of a factor in the Lions offense after Detroit traded for him midseason, but now that he has a full offseason to learn the offense and work with Goff, he may be expected to be this team’s WR3.

Also, Lions general manager Brad Holmes recently praised Green for his development during his rookie season.

“We’re really excited about Antoine Green, about how he’s came along,” Holmes said in a radio interview earlier this month. “He’s another guy that has size, he has speed. He’s a guy that kept getting better and better and better from what we’ve seen throughout the year. I know he didn’t get a ton of targets in games for the world to see, but us being internally with him every single day throughout the season, we really like where he’s going.”

Will that improvement be noticeable on the practice field in Year 2?

8. Is Brodric Martin ready for a Year 2 breakout?

Some people on social media have noticed that Brodric Martin may have gone through a bit of a body transformation in Year 2.

I’m not going to jump to conclusions based on a couple of photos, but it certainly isn’t uncommon for a Year 2 player to make some significant changes to their lifestyle. And, of course, body transformation doesn’t necessarily mean good play.

It’ll be hard to see how much Martin has improved until the full pads come on, but I’ll be paying attention to see if how he moves has changed from his rookie season.

9. Will Marcus Davenport look the part of a potential starting pass rusher?

Some have shown some understandable concern that Detroit is still lacking a pass rushing threat opposite Aidan Hutchinson. Perhaps that comes from a Year 3 Josh Paschal jump, or maybe it comes from free agent addition Marcus Davenport. The former Viking/Saint has struggled to stay healthy throughout his entire career, but back in 2021, he produced 9.0 sacks, three forced fumbles, and an 88.8 PFF grade (eighth among EDGE defenders). Can the Lions bring out any of that potential?

10. Where will the Lions young offensive linemen be playing?

With three offensive linemen over 30, the Lions have already made investments into the future of their offensive line by drafting Colby Sorsdal, Giovanni Manu, and Christian Mahogany. In our limited exposure to all three, it appears they’ve been grooming them for the following positions:

Sorsdal: left guard
Manu: left tackle
Mahogany: right guard

But assistant general manager Ray Agnew noted that they plan on cross-training Manu—like they do with many of their offensive linemen. So it will be interesting to see where these players shift around during spring and summer practices.

For more things to watch, check out Meko and Morgan previewing OTAs below: