When the NFL released its official list of joint practices for the 2026 preseason, the Detroit Lions were nowhere to be found.
That wasn’t a surprise.
Back in late March, head coach Dan Campbell revealed that the Lions would not be participating in joint practices this summer, citing a belief that the team gets more out of practicing against itself than preparing for another opponent.
Dan Campbell Taylor Decker Lions decision Penei Sewell left tackle NFL Joint Practices 2026
“I felt like we got two really good years of it, man, like, we’re really getting something out of this,” Campbell said. “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.”
Now that the league’s full schedule has been released, Detroit is officially one of only four NFL teams not participating in a joint practice this year. The others are the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Why Dan Campbell Moved Away From Joint Practices
The Lions previously held joint practices with teams such as the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins, but Campbell explained that he believes Detroit can accomplish more by focusing exclusively on its own work during training camp.
“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,” Campbell said.
Rather than spending valuable practice time preparing for another team’s schemes, Campbell prefers a schedule that allows the Lions to focus on situational football.
“Let’s just keep it about us, let’s go to work, set the schedule up and we can hit everything,” Campbell explained. “We got first down, we got third down, we got red zone, we got backed up, we got four-minute, we got two-minute, we got situational work. Got special teams involved. Mock games. And let’s just go.”
Campbell also suggested that Detroit could potentially use its preseason games differently as a result.
“And then maybe we play some of these guys in the preseason more than we have, that’s where they get some of it,” he said.
Lions Taking a Different Approach
Joint practices have become increasingly popular throughout the NFL, with 28 teams scheduled to participate in at least one session this summer.
The Lions are choosing a different path.
Given Detroit’s recent success and the continuity throughout the organization, Campbell clearly believes the team’s time is best spent refining its own systems rather than measuring itself against another opponent in August.
Whether that approach pays off will be one of the more intriguing storylines to watch when training camp opens later this summer.