Lions opening camp without Christian Izien, Christian Mahogany on field
· Yahoo Sports
Two players vying for starting jobs will miss the start of training camp when the Detroit Lions open practice Wednesday, July 29.
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The Lions placed defensive back Christian Izien on the non-football illness list and guard Christian Mahogany on the non-football injury list.
Izien took first-team reps at safety this spring with Brian Branch (Achilles) and Kerby Joseph (knee) recovering from injuries. Mahogany started 11 games at left guard last season and is the leading candidate for the job this year.
Players on NFI can attend meetings but can't take part in practices. If either player remains on the list to start the regular season, he must sit out at least the first four games.
The Lions placed Joseph, Branch and tight end Tyler Conklin on the physically unable to perform list over the weekend.
The Lions spent the spring using Izien and veterans Chuck Clark and Thomas Harper at different safety positions to assess the best combination of fill-ins should Joseph and Branch not be ready for the start of the regular season. Harper made nine starts last season. Clark, 31, was a longtime starter with the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets who spent last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. And Izien was one of the Lions' first signings in free agency.
Mahogany, entering his third season, took most of the first-team reps at left guard this offseason, though Lions coach Dan Campbell said he expects a training camp battle for the job. Ben Bartch, who missed all spring while recovering from an ankle injury, Miles Frazier and Juice Scruggs also are competing for the job.
The Lions also released veteran nose tackle Jay Tufele, whom they signed in the spring.
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions opening camp without Christian Izien, Christian Mahogany on field