ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Detroit Lions defensive end Cliff Avril ended his rookie season on a high note and feels even better a week into his second training camp.

“Last season I was pretty much worried about learning the plays and technique,” he said Friday. “I feel like it’s more about polishing up things now.”
Avril finished last season with five sacks — tops among NFL rookie ends — and started the final four games. The Lions will be hoping for more as they look to erase memories of last season’s 0-16 finish, the worst in NFL history.
The arrival of new defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham bodes well for Avril and the rest of the ends. Cunningham favors a scheme that incorporates a variety of blitzes, which could open greater opportunities for the team’s edge rushers. Dewayne White started on the right side last season and finished with 6› of Detroit’s 30 sacks.
The coordinator wouldn’t single any of his linemen out, but said he was impressed.
“They’re all working really hard,” he said. “They’re showing a lot more toughness than I saw on tape.”
Veteran Jared DeVries and third-year pro Ikaika Alama-Francis, who moved into the end rotation last season, add depth on the wings.
The additions of run-plugging tackles Grady Jackson and Chuck Darby should allow the ends to focus on getting to the quarterback. Jackson, a 12-year veteran who arrived in free agency, has gradually returned to practice after missing the first few days of camp. Andre Fluellen should see more time in his second season and rookie Sammie Hill will get a shot in the middle.
The Lions play their first preseason game Aug. 15 against visiting Atlanta.
Notes: Backup OT Damion Cook will have season-ending surgery to repair a triceps injury, coach Jim Schwartz said. He started four of the seven games he played in last season. ... Several players missed practice with assorted minor injuries, but only CB Keith Smith (groin) and TE Casey FitzSimmons (ankle, knee) will miss significant time, Schwartz said. ... The team signed free agent WR Bobby Sippio, who spent parts of the last two seasons with Kansas City. ... Saturday’s session will be open to the public at Ford Field. Lions players will sign autographs at noon and take the field an hour later.