The Detroit Lions' biggest offseason change shouldn't alter their preseason plans

Detroit Lions changed a major part of their offseason philosophy getting rid of joint practices, but that should be where the changes end this summer.

The Detroit Lions are doing things differently this offseason, and it goes well beyond the football field. From general manager Brad Holmes skipping the league meetings in Phoenix to stay back and work on the draft, to the team running one of the quietest pre-draft processes in recent Lions history, to ditching the funny schedule release video in favor of a 30-second clip, Detroit has stripped things down. The Lions also skipped rookie minicamp. But the biggest change heading into training camp is this: no joint practices.

That’s a significant departure for a team that has treated joint practices as a cornerstone of its offseason preparation. Dan Campbell has spoken multiple times about how he views those reps as closer to regular season action than anything the preseason can offer. The logic has always been straightforward. In joint practices, your starters go against another team’s starters. In preseason games, your first-team guys line up against second- and third-stringers who might not be on an NFL roster by September.

Why the Lions don’t need joint practices this year

Detroit is one of just four teams not holding joint practices, alongside the Chiefs, Steelers, and Broncos. The other 28 teams are doing them. Some, like the Saints and Titans, are scheduling three sets. So when the Lions opt out, you have to ask why.

The easy answer is injuries. Everybody wants to believe that’s the reason, and you can understand the logic. But here’s the thing. If the Lions were pulling back on joint practices to protect players, you’d expect them to also dial down the intensity at camp when they’re going against themselves. They’re not doing that. So this isn’t about fear.

I think it’s about confidence. Look at this roster. How many real camp battles exist for starting jobs? Left guard is the only one that jumps out. Cornerback too, maybe, but that one feels like it belongs to Rocky Sin unless they bring someone else in. Beyond that, you’re talking about competitions for tight end 3, running back 3, tackle 3. Lower-level jobs.

Amon-Ra St. Brown doesn’t have anything to prove. Jahmyr Gibbs doesn’t have anything to prove. Jared Goff is going into Year 11. Aidan Hutchinson has the job. Penei Sewell has the job. Sam LaPorta is the tight end 1. Isaiah Pacheco is locked in as the running back 2. Jameson Williams is the wide receiver 2. The offensive line is pretty much figured out. When your roster is this settled, what are you gaining from joint practices that you can’t get at your own facility?

This shouldn’t change anything about starters in the preseason

The natural follow-up question is whether the Lions now need to play their starters in the preseason to compensate for losing those joint practice reps. I don’t think they do.

There’s an idea floating around that if you don’t give your starters preseason game action, they lose momentum or forget how to play football. I get that perspective, but Goff is an 11-year veteran. St. Brown doesn’t need a ramp-up period. Gibbs doesn’t need one either. If these guys are at training camp tackling, hitting, going live, and doing everything they need to do in practice, they don’t need to go out in a preseason game against guys who will be playing in the UFL next spring.

Putting your starting quarterback in a meaningless preseason game - where one play could end his season - is just not worth the risk.

I’m calling my shot here. I don’t think the Lions are going to change anything about how they handle starters in the preseason. They’re just going to keep it in-house, good on good, getting back to basics.

What the preseason should be

The preseason should belong to the guys fighting for roster spots. Young players who need film. Rookies you want to test in live settings. You could throw someone like Isaac de Slaad out there, and that’s fine. Let the young guys prove themselves. You could dress the starters, put them on the sideline, have them help the young players, have them looking over the playbook. That’s as far as I would go if I were Dan Campbell. The last thing I would do, even with a new offense being installed, is put Goff, Gibbs, St. Brown, LaPorta, Sewell, Williams, and any of the starting offensive linemen on that field in a game that means nothing.

It’s just not worth it.

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