The Detroit Lions were treated to an easier day of practice to recuperate after the first two days of collisions in pads.

The Lions had a light practice Wednesday with most drills played at a walkthrough speed and no hitting. It was a scheduled day of rest, Campbell said, after having their first full-throttle padded practice on Tuesday. Players did not wear pads Wednesday and avoided full-speed collisions.

"Today will be a jog-through," Campbell said before practice. "Ramping back down before we go back up the next few days. So it's really mental work."

There were several players who were non-participants in Wednesday's practice, including four of the five starting offensive linemen. Offensive tackle Penei Sewell was the only projected starter to go through practice, and he played left tackle instead of right while Dan Skipper handled the right side.

The team ran a split practice with top players on the offense and defense going at it in slow motion on the east field while reserves and younger players worked on the west field. Hendon Hooker and Nate Sudfeld split quarterback snaps on the second field.

Without hitting, there was plenty of focus on fundamental work, such as hand placement and footwork in pass protection for the offensive line, wide receiver releases and blocking on the edge. As always, forcing turnovers was also a focus point, such as when Brian Branch punched a ball loose in walkthroughs, as well as red-zone offense and punt coverage.

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"It'll be pretty quick, pretty fast, pretty clean," Campbell said. "And it's all mental focus for the day."

On Tuesday, Campbell laid out the pros and cons of the training camp schedule in the modern era compared to the two-a-day practices he endured as a player, ultimately landing on today's practices as best for players.

" I think we are better for it, man," Campbell said. "The body — you know this game has changed so much and the athletes are so much different, and I just think that they’re geared so much higher now than it was back then. Everything felt like a marathon and the game was so much more in a box and downhill, run game, power, two back, heavy personnel — there was just so much more of that, and then once the spread offenses came in, the athletes changed, and so I think this is a good thing where we are at."

A healthy Kerby Joseph adds on weight

After having offseason hip surgery, Kerby Joseph said he is “feeling great.”

“I feel amazing,” he said.

One of the reasons might be because he has added some weight. He is listed at 203 pounds but he weighs more than that now.

“I put on a couple more pounds,” he said. “I feel like that's really been helping my game a lot.”

So, he’s bigger.

But he’s also smarter.

“My mental aspect has shot through the roof,” Joseph said. “I felt like I'm understanding the defense a lot better, which does allow me to make more plays. I'm bringing intensity and violence. I feel like we have all grown. This year feels different. Just knowing the intensity that it took to get there.”

“How do you think you will do this year?” he was asked.

“What you mean?” he said. “We are going to the Super Bowl. We are winning the Super Bowl.”

Running game a work in progress

It’s still early.

But the Lions' running game has yet to get on track.

“Honestly, on offense it’s been one guy,” Campbell said. “It’s like, ‘Man, we get an unbelievable double team with (Lions G Kevin) Zeitler and Sewell, but yet, man, we don’t get the back side cut off.’ And so, it’s one guy here, it’s one guy there, and the other four or five guys are doing it well. So, look, it’s a work in progress.”

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But Campbell is not freaking out.

“We just hit Day 2, so I have a lot of confidence in what we’re going to be able to do up front,” Campbell said. “And with our backs, man, with David and then getting Gibbs back — look, Gibbs needs reps. He got hurt in the spring and he’s coming back off of it, he’s in a good spot, but we’ve got to push him. Man, he needs reps, reps, reps.”

D-line tests looks, Campbell praises Onwuzurike

The defensive line was shuffling players around for snaps at different positions a day after the depth took a hit with John Cominsky's knee injury. Levi Onwuzurike continued his work both on the inside and outside along the line, going up against Skipper on the edge and over both guards and the center as he moved around.

Onwuzurike headlines the group of defensive tackles that have been moving around the line in practice, including Josh Paschal, Brodric Martin and rookie Mekhi Wingo. The fourth-year defensive tackle has been limited to just 26 games through his first three NFL seasons because of a recurring back injury, including missing all of the 2022 season because of surgery. But Onwuzurike is healthy again, Campbell said, and standing out up front.

"I mean, it's clear that he's one of the best," Campbell said. "I mean, it's just clear. He plays with violence, he's stout and he's fundamentally better than he's ever been. And he's showing that he has some versatility between the big end in base and three-technique. He can play some big end in sub or nickel and he's just earned it. So, he continues to go, he feels good and he's in a good place."

The Lions' five-man fronts, typically with four down linemen and a linebacker hovering over one edge, incorporated some different looks in the walkthrough. There was a 3-4 look with three linemen and two linebackers — Derrick Barnes and James Houston — on the edge, as well as another look with five defensive linemen together: Aidan Hutchinson, Paschal, Onwuzurike, Brodric Martin and Marcus Davenport.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions camp observations: Most of OL rests on light practice day