Detroit Lions confirm joint practice opponents for 2025 preseason

The Detroit Lions will host two joint practices this year, both against preseason opponents.

First up is a preseason Week 2 joint practice session against the Miami Dolphins, prior to their exhibition game on Aug 16th. These two teams haven't met on the field since 2022. In Dan Campbell's second year as HC, the Lions suffered a 31-27 home loss that dropped the Lions to 1-6. Detroit would finish that season strong, ending up at 9-8 and just missing out on the postseason.

Campbell also has personal history with Miami. From 2011-2015, he served as the Dolphins' Tight Ends Coach, and in his final season with the team, he was bumped up to interim Head Coach.

While many eyes will be on the receiving and secondary units for both sides, this may be the first real test for quite a few Lions defenders who suffered injuries last season. The team's defensive line and linebacker corps turned into a triage scene over the course of the season.

It's an understatement of epic proportions to say that the timing of the team's injuries could not have been worse, as the first elite defensive unit the team has fielded in well over a decade was utterly derailed by season's end and especially in their postseason loss to the Commanders.

Detroit does play two preseason games prior to their joint practice with Miami. First, the Lions will play the Chargers at a neutral site on Jul 31st to kick off the preseason in the Hall of Fame game. A week later, the team will travel to Atlanta to face the Falcons in another evening game on Aug 8th.

These games do offer other chances for starters to get some time on the field, especially given the fourth preseason game that comes with playing the Hall of Fame game in Canton, OH.

Preseason set to be great opportunity to see rookies rise to the top

That said, starters don't typically see much on-field time until the regular season begins - a drive here, a quarter there, but otherwise they're observers for the most part. So the joint practice with Miami may be the first extended action quite a few starters get against non-Lions teammates. In many ways, the practices are much more beneficial than the preseason games for players.

Participating coaches have many more options to run two-minute drills, repeat plays, and otherwise collect the information they need on players, without being confined to the flow of the game and the clock.

In the final week of the preseason, the Texans will also come to town for an extended trip, with a joint practice before both teams' final preseason game on Aug 23rd.

Detroit battled back from a halftime deficit and overcame QB Jared Goff's five interceptions in that game to win 26-23 in Week 10 last year; one more W notched en route to a 15-2 record and the second division title in as many years. That performance, including all the good, the bad, and the ugly, will be fresh on the minds of both teams.

In the wake of that, it will be interesting to see if the Lions' plethora of new coaches will be able to hold the players to a higher standard of discipline than that displayed during last year's joint practice with the New York Giants. Over two days of practices, players on both sides brawled more than a dozen times. Practice had to be cancelled and both teams were fined $200K each as a result.

Still, head coach Dan Campbell has proven his ability to improve over time and apply lessons learned to both himself and the team. It's a safe bet that he'll be looking to his new coordinators (John Morton, OC & Kelvin Sheppard, DC) to set the tone for their respective units. The pair of practice sessions will be as much of a test for them as it will be for their players.