The Detroit Lions are making strides toward the 2025 season, but it’s hard to tell what kind of team they are. The early weeks of training camp and their first preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers didn’t have a lot of the names that will help them chase their first Super Bowl appearance this fall and most of the players on the field have been backups that failed to impress Dan Campbell in a 34-7 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Still, there are some data points that Lions fans can use to project who will make the roster. In the case of one Lions defender, it’s left him on thin ice and could lend an uphill battle to make the team as he looks to fill an important role.
Lions S Morice Norris is Already on Dan Campbell’s Nerves During Training Camp
Morice Norris is a second-year safety out of Fresno State, and he currently has an important role on the roster. While he only appeared in two games during his rookie season, he entered training camp as the backup safety to Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch.
Depth is an ongoing theme for the Lions after watching a total of 21 players go on injured reserve this season and it’s players like Norris who could stake their claim during camp. But the first two weeks haven’t gone well, and it could lead to his departure sooner than expected.
Norris’s rough preseason began during the opening week of training camp. While Campbell emphasizes physicality and aggressiveness, it’s a different approach during the first practices to help his team stay healthy and dip his toes into the water. According to The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy, Norris didn’t get the memo, laying out receivers Isaac TeSlaa and Dominic Lovett, and earning an ejection from practice.
While there hasn’t been much from Norris since then, he didn’t do himself any favors with his performance in the Hall of Fame Game. According to Pro Football Focus, Norris posted a 48.4 overall grade and a 54.3 grade in coverage while missing a tackle on 18 defensive snaps.
By comparison, seventh-round rookie Dan Jackson fared much better, posting a 65.6 overall grade on 36 defensive snaps and Eric Hallett posted a 66.6 overall grade on 29 defensive snaps Thursday night.
Norris wasn’t the only player that struggled against the Chargers. But it makes the next few games important. If he’s able to control his play and improve on the field, he could earn a spot on the active roster. If he can’t, it could open the door for someone else to try and solve the depth issues that plagued the Lions a year ago.