It's not just rookies that'll need to show some spark in training camp for the Detroit Lions. Veterans on the squad will have just as much to prove, and training camp will provide the perfect platform for those veterans.
Some have been on the Lions roster for years, and are simply set to experience a critical season where they are expected to step up in a huge way. Others are new to the team, but are reaching pivotal points in their respective careers where camp is no longer where they go to simply go through the motions before winning their starting spot.
Four Lions veterans fit these respective bills.
Lions veterans who enter camp with something to prove
Teddy Bridgewater
Bridgewater was brought on in free agency following Kyle Allen getting snatched up by the Buffalo Bills in free agency. That was a sneakily big loss, with the Lions having given up on Hendon Hooker last year. That left just Allen behind as their best remaining backup quarterback. Bridgewater is his replacement, but it is a little concerning that that's the case.
Age and a lack of recent NFL experience make him a shaky prospect as the Lions' QB2, and it sounds like he was looking inaccurate in OTAs and minicamp. He also has UDFA Luke Altmyer breathing down his neck for his spot, which adds even more pressure onto him headed into camp.
Camp could provide him an opportunity to firmly etch a role as backup to Jared Goff. If he can't, then he's still an extremely valuable veteran voice to have in the mix for Detroit's offense.
Alim McNeill
McNeill knows that his 2025 return didn't go swimmingly. He was still getting his legs under him, to be fair, and the rest of the Lions' defense was basically in shambles for most of the year, with or without him. 2026 presents an opportunity for McNeill to not just bounce back in earnest from his 2024 injury, but to storm the league as one of the best defensive tackles in 2026.
The veteran lineman told reporters during OTAs:
"I felt like (I was) me personally, mentally and everything. It's just, you know how the body works. It takes time for stuff to come back a little bit and some stuff was not there. No matter how hard I tried to do certain stuff, it just wasn't there yet. It's here now. So I'm not really thinking about last year at all honestly."
McNeill understands the expectations for this Lions defense as they look to support their potent offense properly for the first time since, likely, 2023. A strong camp showing from him would help to build that hype up about their improved defense.
READ MORE: Lions could arrive at camp with one concern already starting to fade
Penei Sewell
I know what you're thinking: why in the world is a reliable veteran like Sewell on this list? He has nothing to prove!
And, you're absolutely right. Sewell is going to be a perennial candidate for the Protector of the Year award while he's in his prime, and he'll continue to be one of the anchors for the Lions' offense for years to come. The reason why he's on this list is because he's being asked to not just anchor the offensive line, but to change up everything he has known about his role since 2021 as he slides from right to left tackle.
Left tackle, aka Goff's protector, will present a unique challenge to Sewell. He was a left tackle in college, and played some left tackle for the Lions when Taylor Decker was injured years ago, but he has since established himself as the league's best right tackle. Will be show major rust at left tackle in camp? Or, will he look exactly the same at the spot, just a mirrored version?
DJ Reed
Reed came over to the Lions in free agency last season with great expectations around him. I can say, as someone who grew up a New York Jets fan, that I was thrilled that I'd be able to write about Reed more often as he'd be one of my favorite defenders to watch in New York for years.
So, the fact that he was injured for a good chunk of his debut year with Detroit, and then looked a step slow in his return from that injury, was a disappointment.
Reed told reporters this offseason that he'd gotten stem cell treatment for a hamstring injury that was more severe than initially thought, and that now, he feels much better ahead of camp. You'd hope that he can return to his 2024 form this season with the Lions, which is to say, someone who can be a menace in man coverage, and one of the strongest tacklers on the field.
Add us as a preferred source on Google