Lions Lock in Three Preseason Games, Campbell Hints at More Starter Action
The Lions dropped their preseason schedule this week, and surprise, surprise — it looks exactly like what you’d expect from a franchise that knows how to keep travel costs down. Three games, two road trips to nearby states, and one home date at Ford Field.
But here’s what makes this preseason different: Dan Campbell already said he’s not doing joint practices this year. None. That means the only time this team gets live reps against other opponents will be on game day, which has Campbell thinking about playing his starters more than usual.
“Maybe we play some of these guys in the preseason more than we have, that’s where they get some of it,” Campbell said during the annual league meetings. Translation: you might actually see the regulars take meaningful snaps instead of watching third-stringers battle for roster spots.
The Schedule Breakdown
Detroit kicks things off with a trip to Cincinnati on Thursday, August 13 at 7 p.m. The Bengals are always a solid measuring stick, even in meaningless August football.
The Lions get their lone home preseason game against Washington on Saturday, August 22 at noon. A Saturday afternoon kickoff at Ford Field in late August? That’s prime time for evaluating rookies and seeing how the system looks in live action.
They wrap up the preseason slate in Indianapolis on Saturday, August 29 at 3 p.m. The Colts finale gives Campbell one last look at his roster before the real season begins.
What This Actually Means
Campbell’s willingness to play starters more is interesting. This coaching staff has been pretty conservative with their key players in August, but without joint practices to get quality reps, they might need to adjust that approach.
All three games will be on the Lions TV Network, so you can catch every snap of the preseason action and see how the team looks in live game situations.
Three games against three different styles of teams. No joint practices to muddy the evaluation process. And a head coach who might actually let you see the players you care about take some real snaps.
Is Campbell making the right call skipping joint practices, or are we about to learn the hard way why most teams use them? Let me know what you think below.
