Episode

Daily DLP Training Camp Preview: Safeties Detroit Lions Podcast

Podcast
The Detroit Lions Podcast
Published
Jul 19, 2026
Duration seconds
1252
Processing state
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https://traffic.megaphone.fm/TTEOS3247699184.mp3
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https://traffic.megaphone.fm/TTEOS3247699184.mp3
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/v1/public/podcasts/the-detroit-lions-podcast-1064987/episodes/daily-dlp-training-camp-preview-safeties-detroit-lions-podcast
Markdown
/podcast/the-detroit-lions-podcast-1064987/daily-dlp-training-camp-preview-safeties-detroit-lions-podcast.md

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Summary

The Detroit Lions have a deep, flexible safety room that still needs defined roles. Injury concerns to both regular starters complicate the safety spot, and that will make for a very intriguing training camp in Allen Park. Is Kerby Joseph the turnover engine this defense needs? Yes, when Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph is on the field, the defense gains its best ballhawk. As Jeff Risdon noted, Joseph is "exceptionally good at creating opportunities for the defense to turn defense into offense." Risdon explicitly wants him healthy for 17 games because nobody else has provided that level of takeaways. Joseph had ups and downs last season, but his ability to flip possessions remains the singular swing factor in the secondary’s ceiling and the overall NFL playoff push. Is Chuck Clark the answer while roles settle? Detroit Lions safety Chuck Clark looked like a starter and a tone-setter in minicamp. He played primarily in Joseph’s role, handled every assignment, and, as Jeff Risdon put it, "impressed the hell out of me" as a leader and communicator. Clark can play over the top or in the box, and at 32 years old he still moved and directed traffic like an alpha. The only open question, per Risdon, is whether his best days are behind him, but his spring performance says he can anchor the room as jobs crystallize in camp. Where do Thomas Harper, Christian Izien, Avante Maddox and Dan Jackson fit? They are the versatile chess pieces who fill the gaps while starters settle. Detroit Lions defensive back Thomas Harper plays everywhere, with prior work in the slot, at free safety and at strong safety, and he aligned closer to the line of scrimmage in camp. Detroit Lions defensive back Christian Izien, an undrafted Rutgers product who became Tampa Bay’s "positionless wonder," has…