5 Detroit Lions to watch during joint practices against the New York Giants

4. DT Levi Onwuzurike

Onwuzurike looked good during OTAs, but he had to carry that momentum into when the pads came on in training camp. He has done so, earning praise from Lions' guard Kevin Zeitler. Via Nolan Bianchi of the Detroit News, Campbell also lauded the work the second pick in the Lions' 2021 draft class is doing.

"It's clear that he's been one of the best (players on the defensive line), Campbell said. "I mean, it's just clear. He plays with violence, he's stout, he's fundamentally better than he's ever been, and he's shown that he has some versatility,"

Onwuzurike has done everything he had to do so far, he's been healthy and he has been dominant in camp practice. Working against the Giants' offensive line will be another notable step he has to take, if only because it's going against another team.

3. PK Jake Bates

Bates is heading into joint practices off a couple very rough days of kicking. After Michael Badgley's season-ending injury, he was the only kicker on the Lions' roster for the entire first week of padded practices. That in itself seemed to be a test to see if he could take hold of the job, and he did not do so as the week went along.

The Lions are/were going to add a kicker at some point, just to navigate camp and preseason games apart from possibly having a serious competitor for Bates. The latter part of that is now becoming a thing, and as a whole it's fair to say the four kickers the Lions had in for a workout right after Badgley's injury were not serious competition for Bates. None of them being signed since confirmed that.

If Badgley wasn't injured, he'd probably be a lock to win the Lions' kicking job already. Bates is allowed to have a bad day (or two) in the current circumstance, which is leeway he wouldn't have if Badgley was healthy. But he has to get it back on track this coming week.