Preseason Schedule Drops: Three Games, Zero Joint Practices, Maximum Campbell
The Lions dropped their preseason schedule this week, and if you’re wondering whether Dan Campbell plans to treat these games like glorified scrimmages, think again. With no joint practices on the docket, these three matchups might actually matter.
Campbell already made it clear he’s not interested in joint practices this year. Which means the only time we’ll see how this roster stacks up against live competition before the games count is on preseason game days. And yes, that probably means more starters getting meaningful snaps than we’ve seen in recent years.
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 league meetings. Translation: buckle up, because August just got more interesting.
The Schedule Breakdown
The Lions kick things off with a trip to Cincinnati on Thursday, August 13 at 7 p.m. to face the Bengals. Then they return to Ford Field for their lone home preseason game against Washington on Saturday, August 22 at noon. They wrap up the preseason slate with a Saturday afternoon trip to Indianapolis on August 29 at 3 p.m. to take on the Colts.
Smart scheduling as usual, with two of the three games against regional opponents to keep travel minimal. Because nothing says preseason efficiency like not flying halfway across the country to watch your third-string safety try to make the roster.
All three games will air on the Detroit Lions TV Network, so you can catch every snap of the preseason action and see how the team looks heading into the regular season.
Are you planning to actually watch preseason games this year, or are you saving your emotional energy for when it counts? Drop your take below.
Finally a preseason that actually means something. Campbell not doing joint practices shows he’s confident in what he’s building and wants real film to work with. I’m definitely tuning in for all three games because this is gonna tell us a lot about where we actually stand.
Look I want to believe that starters getting more snaps in preseason is the right move, but we gotta see it actually work out first. Campbell knows what he’s doing way more than the clowns we’ve had before, so I’ll give it a shot. Just hope it doesn’t leave guys banged up for September.
The way this organization operates now compared to what we dealt with years ago is night and day. Campbell treating preseason seriously instead of just going through the motions feels like the old way of doing things the right way. I’ll be watching every snap.
This is exactly the mentality shift we need. No fluff, no joint practices, just meaningful competition and actual evaluation. Campbell is building something real here and I’m pumped to see how the roster looks in August.