Lions Opt Out of Joint Practices, May Play Starters More in Preseason

Coach Dan Campbell cites diminishing returns from joint practices in recent years.

Mar. 30, 2026 at 5:22pm

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting fragmented, overlapping views of a football field, players, and equipment, rendered in a palette of navy, green, and orange to capture the strategic and competitive nature of the sport.The Lions' decision to forgo joint practices this year reflects a shift in focus toward internal development and execution.Indianapolis Today

The Detroit Lions will not hold any joint practices with other NFL teams during this year's training camp, a departure from their recent practice of holding at least one set of joint workouts each summer. Head coach Dan Campbell said he felt the joint practices had become counterproductive and that the team would be better served by focusing solely on its own preparations. To make up for the lost practice reps, the Lions may play their starters more in preseason games this year.

Why it matters

Joint practices have become a common part of NFL training camps in recent years, allowing teams to get extra work against unfamiliar opponents. However, Campbell felt the Lions were no longer getting the same level of benefit from the joint sessions, preferring instead to concentrate on the team's own development and execution of plays and situations.

The details

The Lions have held at least one set of joint practices in each of the past four seasons, working with teams like the Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, New York Giants, and Jacksonville Jaguars. But Campbell said that as those joint sessions continued over the years, they started to feel 'counterproductive' and that the team would have been better served by just practicing against itself. To make up for the lost practice reps, the Lions may play their starters more in preseason games this summer, a shift from recent years when the team has limited playing time for key players in exhibition contests.

  • The Lions have held at least one set of joint practices each training camp since 2022.
  • In 2024, the Lions practiced against the New York Giants.
  • In 2023, the Lions worked against the Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars.
  • In 2022, the Lions practiced against the Indianapolis Colts.

The players

Dan Campbell

Head coach of the Detroit Lions.

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What they’re saying

“I felt like we got two really good years of it, man, like, we're really getting something out of this. And then as it kind of went on, we got into that third year, whatever that was, or '24, I don't know, it just felt counterproductive, man. It didn't feel like we were getting what I thought we would get out of it and part of me was like, I think we would have gotten more – we'd have gotten an extra practice and we'd have gotten more done had we just gone against ourselves.”

— Dan Campbell, Head Coach

What’s next

The Lions will determine if they will play their starters more in preseason games to make up for the lost joint practice reps.

The takeaway

By opting out of joint practices this year, the Lions are prioritizing internal development and execution over the potential benefits of working against unfamiliar opponents. This shift reflects Coach Campbell's belief that the joint sessions had become counterproductive, and that the team would be better served by focusing solely on its own preparations and potentially playing key players more in preseason games.