Detroit Lions Make Decision on 2026 Joint Practices

Dan Campbell announces big part of training camp plan.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

A big change is coming to the Detroit Lions' training camp preparations.

At the NFL's annual league meetings Monday, Lions head coach Dan Campbell said the team will not conduct joint practices. It's the first time since 2021, Campbell's first year as head coach, where the team will not suit up against an opponent in training camp.

The Lions have emphasized the importance of these sessions for multiple years under Campbell for multiple reasons.

They give the Lions an opportunity to match up against a different foe to see where they stack up, and it also breaks up the monotony of squaring off against teammates every day in camp. However, ahead of the 2026 season the Lions will be focused on themselves.

In past years, the Lions have matched up against at least one opponent in the weeks leading up to the regular season. Detroit had two sets of joint practices last year, one for two days against the Miami Dolphins and then one practice session against the Houston Texans.

By doing these joint practices, the Lions have held their starters out of preseason games. Instead of getting game action, Campbell has devoted these joint practice sessions to getting starters the equivalent of what their workload would be in preseason games.

Joint practices operate essentially as controlled scrimmages, with the Lions matching up against their opponents in a series of drills ranging from one-on-ones to seven-on-seven and eventually full team drills.

As a result of their emphasis on getting reps for starters in these practices, it has been their backups and reserves that get a bulk of the workload in the actual preseason games.

With no joint practices this year, it's unclear what impact this will have on how the Lions typically approach preseason games and whether or not starters such as Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell will play in preseason games.

Detroit has also held joint practice sessions against the New York Giants in 2024, the Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023 and the Indianapolis Colts in 2022 with Campbell at the helm.

The Lions will learn their full schedule for the 2026 season, including preseason games, when the schedule is revealed sometime in may. Their regular season schedule will feature an international game, as the team is slated to travel and play a game against a yet to be determined opponent in Munich, Germany.