Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell and his players had a consistent message on the first day of training camp: Last season's success has been wiped from the slate and the focus solely lays on the work ahead.

The Lions, one of the preseason Super Bowl favorites after reaching the NFC championship game last season, were focused on avoiding complacency and reinforcing the team's culture that has steadily grown since Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes took over in 2021.

"It's all about the work," Campbell said before the first practice. "We don't live off reputation. We live off of the work and that's what's gotten us where we are at. It's been a long, hard road to get to where we're at right now. There's a price to be paid and we gotta go pay it again. That's the message and it'll always be the message."

The Lions won the NFC North, reached the conference championship for the first time in three decades and return nearly the entire group with the additions of free agents such as defensive lineman D.J. Reader and draft picks such as cornerback Terrion Arnold.

The success during last season validated the players' work in practice and the coaches' messages, Campbell said, but it does not have a bearing on this year's team. Left tackle Taylor Decker echoed that, saying the mark of a good team is consistency year over year, the same as it is for a player and individual performance.

"Your own worst enemy is yourself," Campbell said. "It's not anybody else, it's not really the opponent, it's always going to be yourself. So we are always gonna have to guard against bringing up again the complacency, the entitlement, reputation. We gotta go back to work."

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"There's no substitute for the work," Decker said. "The work is the work. You have to come out here and continue to build chemistry as a team."

The Lions' core has grown under Campbell since 2021 to establish the culture that was a defining mark of last season's success. Building on that culture and maintaining it with the returning players while weaving the new players into the fold is paramount to turning into a consistent winner.

"We are not going to lose our identity," Campbell said. "That's the most important thing to me and I won't sacrifice it for anyone or anything."

Players agreed with Campbell that to maintain the identity, the players would be the ones who have to hold each other accountable. Running back David Montgomery and safety Kerby Joseph said that the job falls on everyone, not just veteran leaders.

"It's the accountability part, you know, 'I am my brother's keeper,' " Joseph said. "So we all keep each other accountable and make sure we do what we got to do and stay on business."

Injury updates: 'No setbacks'

Campbell provided encouraging injury updates for Reader and edge rusher Marcus Davenport along with second-year defensive back Brian Branch, saying they are on track for recovery. Davenport and Branch were both suited up and participated in practice. All three were placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list ahead of training camp.

Reader, who signed a 2-year $22 million deal with Detroit in free agency, is recovering from a torn quadriceps tendon suffered last season as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals.

"Reader is on course, man," Campbell said. "We are not in any hurry with him but he's doing well, getting his strength back. The injury is healed, it's just a matter of getting him to that point where we now feel comfortable getting him out there competing around others."

Davenport, who signed a one-year deal in free agency, is recovering from ankle surgery that limited him to four games with the Vikings in 2023. Branch, the Lions' starting slot cornerback last season as a rookie, had a "cleanup" surgery on his leg during the offseason. Both players were on the practice field but did not participate in team drills.

"These guys are slowly going," Campbell said. "I think Davenport is going to be a little quicker than Branch but they'll both be out there in some capacity which is a good sign.

"So no setbacks, we are moving right along."

The Lions also placed four players — CB Carlton Davis III, WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, CB Amik Robertson and Tre'Quan Smith — on the active nonfootball (NFI) injury list Wednesday morning. Rookie offensive tackle Giovanni Manu participated in practice and got snaps at left tackle in the live sessions after being put on the NFI list Sunday.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions 'back to work' at 2024 training camp with clean slate