Roughly 24 hours ago, Detroit Lions linebacker Grant Stuard sent a warning to the Miami Dolphins. With the Dolphins coming to Allen Park for two days of joint practices, Stuard said Miami’s team wasn’t ready for how the Lions practiced and expressed his excitement over hitting someone that wasn’t in a Honolulu Blue jersey.
The Dolphins arrived in Michigan wearing their trademark aqua and orange, but they may as well been wearing a red jumpsuit in the middle of a bullring. By multiple accounts, the Lions completely dominated Wednesday's practice but it was Stuard and the Detroit defense that stole the show and had Miami questioning its life decisions in advance of Saturday’s preseason matchup.
Lions defense had the most dominant joint practice I’ve ever witnessed. Word is it was just as lopsided in the Lions offense’s favor.
— Jeremy Reisman (@DetroitOnLion) August 13, 2025
The Lions Defense Destroyed the Dolphins in 1st Joint Practice
You could pick your favorite writer and see just how much the Lions owned the Dolphins in Wednesday’s practice. The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy noted that the Detroit’s first team defense kept Miami’s first team offense scoreless for 7-to-8 plays during a red zone drill and the Dolphins didn’t even find the end zone until the final play of the drill, which Pride of Detroit’s Jeremy Reisman estimated was “16 to 17 plays deep.”
Reisman also noted that Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle were not participating in team drills but the second team defense “had the most dominant series of 7-on-7s I’ve ever seen” with Ian Kennelly and Nick Whiteside grabbing interceptions and Erick Hallett nearly coming down with another pick against backup quarterback Zach Wilson.
Mike Payton of A to Z Sports also piled on the Dolphins for their performance, saying that either the Dolphins are really bad or the Lions are just a juggernaut. The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner also marveled at Detroit’s performance saying the Dolphins “did nothing offensively in the red zone, in team, nothing.”
This is the type of result you would expect when one coach worries about dying tomorrow and the other begins his day with two coffees so strong, they’re called “Black Eyes.” But it’s exactly what Dan Campbell probably wanted to see from his defense.
The Lions are facing all sorts of questions as they head into next season but it appears the loss of defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn isn’t going to hold them back. In fact, Wednesday’s performance could mean Detroit could be even better this season after having five defensive starters finish the 2024 campaign on injured reserve.
Will that matter when the season begins? It’s hard to say. But with their opening week opponent sorting through their own injury crisis, moments like Wednesday’s practice could mean good things for the upcoming season.