The Detroit Lions ended their offseason workouts earlier than the rest of the NFL, as they did not have a mandatory minicamp due to having an extra preseason game this summer.
The Lions will begin the preseason slate on July 31 in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game against the Los Angeles Chargers. With Detroit starting the preseason earlier than the rest of the league, it only makes sense for them to have training camp early next month.
However, the Lions will not be starting training camp early next month. On Tuesday, the Lions announced their full training camp schedule for this summer. Detroit will open camp on July 26 at Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, which is only five days before their first preseason game.
Just Announced: Detroit Lions 2025 Training Camp presented by @RocketOTD will begin with Back Together Weekend on July 26 at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park.
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) June 17, 2025
Tickets are free and required for entry, registration opens July 15!
This little detail likely won’t matter to most Lions fans, but the team might be making a mistake by starting camp five days before their first game. Meanwhile, the Chargers will have their players report to training camp on July 16, with the first practice on July 17.
Last year, the Houston Texans and Chicago Bears faced off against each other in the Hall of Fame Game on August 1. However, those teams didn’t wait until the week of the game to start training camp. The Texans had veterans and rookies report on July 17, while the Bears had rookies report to camp on July 16, followed by vets on July 19.
We know the starters do not play in the Hall of Fame Game, but it still opens up the possibility of backups getting hurt, as they only have three days of practice to ramp up. The Lions can’t afford for anyone to get hurt in the first game, as they saw the injury bug ravage their depth last season.
That said, Lions head coach Dan Campbell has earned the trust of the fanbase as they’ve been one of the best teams in the NFC over the last two years. If he believes a few days of practice is good heading into the Hall of Fame Game, then we just have to wait and see how it all plays out on the field.