Maryland head coach Mike Locksley knows that he'll need all the help he can get if he wants to turn around a defense that finished near the bottom of the Big Ten in points allowed last season.
The Terrapins are well into their preparation for the 2026 season, but they received a commitment from experienced defensive back Jordan Scruggs, who will have to learn the system on the fly.
Scruggs is permitted to play another season in college football after a judge's injunction granted him one more year of eligibility.
He's played at several different schools, including Washburn, Central Missouri, Hutchinson CC, South Alabama, and most recently, West Virginia. He redshirted at Washburn.
Scruggs seemed to be inclined to return to the Mountaineers, but changed course late in the process.

#scruggs #mike #locksley

The Detroit Lions were back in pads on Sunday, slowly ramping things back up in their 13th training camp practice of the 2026 preseason.
A couple of unexpected absences popped up at Sunday's practice, but we also saw some injured players return, like Juice Scruggs and Derrick Moore. The pair took to the field in pads for the first time as they continue to build back up after soft-tissue injuries.
Because this was Scruggs' first practice in pads, the Lions appear like they want to keep his acclimation tempered a bit. He started most "team" series—save the final few—but at the halfway point, Scruggs went to the sidelines. That decision let the offensive line adjust its interior combination and test other options.
When Scruggs exited, Tate Ratledge stepped in at center with Christian Mahogany shifting from left to right guard to accommodate for Ben Bartch at left guard. With this combination, they could see where Ratledge is at in his development at center, make room for Bartch to get reps with the first team, and give Mahogany some looks from the right side.
The difference between the two combinations was drastic. When Scruggs was at center, the offensive line looked solid, but when they shifted to Ratledge inside, they appeared more vulnerable to blitzes, and Ratledge botched at least two snaps. While the second combination arguably puts the Lions' five most talented linemen on the field at the same time, the cohesion was clearly absent, illustrating how important it is to find the "right" combination and "fit."

#ratledge

Here are some observations from Day 13 of Lions training camp in Allen Park on Sunday.
▶ The most notable development out of Sunday's practice was Tate Ratledge's move to the first-team center position. While Ratledge wasn't at center for the full practice — Juice Scruggs also took reps at center — he took a healthy majority. When Ratledge was at center, the team deployed Ben Bartch at left guard and Christian Mahogany at right guard. When Scruggs was in at center, Mahogany and Ratledge played guard.
The practice was sloppy for the offense, in part because it started to pour halfway through. By our count, Ratledge had two botched snaps, and Scruggs had four. One or two of them might've been on quarterback Jared Goff; it was kind of hard to tell in the rain.
Part of the moving and shaking stems from the fact that, as Lions coach Dan Campbell mentioned on Saturday, they have no idea who their "best five" are with Cade Mays on the shelf. Prior to his injury, they only needed to figure out one spot (left guard) along the offensive line, with two clear favorites for the job: Mahogany and Bartch.
Now the situation is exponentially more complicated: While Seth McLaughlin played well at center in Thursday night's preseason game, he likely doesn't have the preferred size; Scruggs was dealing with a soft-tissue injury before returning to practice this week; Ratledge has never played the position before. Even if Scruggs was the clear front-runner for the gig, they'd likely want to hammer down a contingency plan before going into the season. It's clear the Lions are invested in preparing Ratledge to play center if it comes down to it.

#ratledge #practice #guard #clear

Here are some observations from Day 12 of Lions training camp in Allen Park on Saturday.
▶ The Lions held a glorified walk-through at Saturday's practice. Today's observations will be heavily slanted toward a newsy press conference from Lions coach Dan Campbell and the deployment of several players who returned from injury.
▶ Interior offensive lineman Juice Scruggs returned to the practice field on Saturday. The team did very few 11-on-11 reps, but when they did, Scruggs manned the first-team reps. Lions coach Dan Campbell said that Scruggs is still very much a candidate to win the starting center job in Cade Mays' absence. Former undrafted free agent Seth McLaughlin manned all the first-team reps last week, with Mays and Scruggs not practicing, and more than held his own in Detroit's preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.
While we haven't seen it yet, Campbell also said he expects right guard Tate Ratledge to begin working at center, just in case they need him to play the position in a pinch. Ratledge began working at center for the first three days of last year's camp before moving to right guard; we haven't seen him take a snap at center since.
"We're going to work him a little bit," Campbell said. "I don't know how much we'll do in team (drills), but certainly we're going to be snapping him some pre-practice. And then he's been going through some of the calls, things like that. So, we're just prepared. We have to be willing to go wherever we can go with this."

#campbell #we 're #reps #going

Slowly but surely, some of the Detroit Lions' key figures are making their way back into training camp practices.
Per Pride of Detroit's Jeremy Reisman, running backs Sione Vaki (broken nose) and Jabari Small, offensive lineman Juice Scruggs (soft tissue), linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (ankle), EDGE Derrick Moore (groin) and cornerback D.J. Reed (groin) all made their way back into Saturday's training camp practice.
On another encouraging note, Lions rookie linebacker Jimmy Rolder was spotted working with trainers. Rolder is expected to "miss some time" but NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported on Aug. 1 that Rolder had avoided a severe injury. Saturday's news is a step forward in Rolder's return.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell shared an injury update before the Lions' 12th training camp practice, indicating that some of its top players would start working there way back in.
"Yeah, (Derrick) Moore will start working back here a little bit. We'll work those guys progressively. Get them back every day a little bit more and more, provided no setbacks. So, I think we'll get (Sione) Vaki out there a little bit. Moore is one of them. We talked about Juice. I think DJ Reed's going to start working back in. So, we're about to get a lot of guys back here," Campbell said.

#back #rolder #little

Allen Park — Running back Isiah Pacheco was one of eight Lions who did not participate in Sunday's practice, missing his third consecutive session.
Also absent were wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr., offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, defensive tackle Aidan Keanaaina, defensive end Payton Turner (back), linebackers Damone Clark and Jimmy Rolder (hamstring), and cornerback D.J. Reed (groin).
Lions coach Dan Campbell on Sunday provided updates on Reed and Turner, saying Reed's issue was "not major" and Turner's back ailment is a "day-to-day type thing."
Some of Detroit's biggest stars seemed to be resting Sunday. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, tight end Sam LaPorta, offensive tackle Penei Sewell, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and linebacker Jack Campbell were each on the field but did not take part in team drills.
LaPorta, Campbell and linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (ankle) went inside midway through practice. Defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo (groin) and defensive end Derrick Moore (groin) also did not participate in team drills.

#campbell #back #groin #sunday

Allen Park — Multiple Detroit Lions were either absent from Thursday's practice or left early to be evaluated for potential injuries.
Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, running back Isiah Pacheco, offensive lineman Juice Scruggs and cornerback D.J. Reed — all of whom did not have any previously known injuries — were not spotted Thursday.
Running back Sione Vaki (nose, eye) and linebackers Malcolm Rodriguez (ankle) and Jimmy Rolder (hamstring), as well as defensive ends Derrick Moore (groin) and Payton Turner (back), also were not spotted, though we know each of the injuries they're dealing with.
Vaki will be "out for a little bit," Lions coach Dan Campbell said Tuesday; Rodriguez left early from Tuesday's practice; Rolder will be down for "a while;" Moore is expected to be back within the next week or so; and there's no been no update on Turner, who popped up with a stiff back after Detroit's first session of training camp July 29.
Defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo (groin) and cornerback De'Shawn Rucker (ankle) were early exits Thursday. It was an extremely humid day in Allen Park, and a number of players were either absent or limited due to cramping.

#back #early #lions #rodriguez

The Detroit Lions suffered what appears to be their first in-practice injuries of training camp on Thursday. Veteran defensive tackle Alim McNeill and rookie linebacker Jimmy Rolder left early and did not return.
But it wasn't all bad news for Detroit. They did get one player back from an injury list, and it appears others are making progress. Let's break down all of the Day 3 injury news below.
G Christian Mahogany (NFI)
Mahogany was officially taken off the Non-Football Injury list on Friday and immediately got some first-team reps, splitting time with Juice Scruggs. Mahogany told a small group of reporters that his absence was not injury related, and he's ready to improve upon last year's perforance.
RB Jahmyr Gibbs (not-injury related)

#injury #mahogany #first

The Detroit Lions open their 2026 training camp on Wednesday, and on Tuesday, their veterans reported to the team's Allen Park training facility. As players rejoin the team, it's common for the team to make a few last-minute transactions in preparation for camp. Earlier in the week, we saw the Lions place three players on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, and on Tuesday, they placed Christian Mahogany on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list, Christian Izien on the Non-Football Illness (NFI) list, and released veteran nose tackle Jay Tufele.
If you're not familiar with the difference between the lists, which list a player lands on is based on where they were injured and the type of injury. If a player was hurt while participating in an activity directly related to the NFL (games, practices, workouts, etc.), they land on the PUP list. If a player was injured in a non-NFL activity (which can include private workouts or in their personal life), they land on the NFI (injury) list. If a player is dealing with an illness (which can range from having the flu or Mononucleosis—like Mahogany had as a rookie—or even more serious illnesses), they land in the NFI (illness) category.
These lists also have some similarities as well. Like with the PUP list, placing a player on either NFI list at this stage does not require them to miss any games. They are restricted from practicing while on the injury lists, but players are also eligible to be removed from any of these lists at any time if a team believes a player is healthy enough to begin practicing. However, if a player remains on any of the lists through roster cutdowns, they will be forced to miss the first four games of the regular season.
Mahogany returns to Detroit this season expecting to work to retain his starting left guard job, so any absence will certainly hinder his ability to compete for that role. While he is out, look for either veteran Ben Bartch, second-year lineman Miles Frazier, or recently traded-for Juice Scruggs to try to seize the opportunity in front of them.
Izien joined the Lions this offseason and was working with the starting safeties in the spring as he was trying to acclimate to the Lions' scheme quickly, as he was also expected to compete for a starting role with Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph on the PUP list. While Izien misses time, Thomas Harper and Avonte Maddox, along with veteran Chuck Clark, should have great opportunities to get into the starting rotation at practice.

#lists #players