The Detroit Lions are finally, actually, suiting up ahead of the 2026 season.
Training camp is here. We'll finally get a glimpse at both their highly-touted draft class, as well as a crop of veterans looking to help get the Lions back to postseason form. There are a lot of camp battles to look forward to this season, which is exactly what you want to see from a team that missed out on the playoffs despite rostering a contender on paper.
Injuries are going to be a big storyline for Detroit in training camp - Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch are notably beginning the year on the PUP list, while the team is also returning a few key members of their defense following injuries that impacted their 2025 season. Alim McNeill, Levi Onwuzurike, and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. fall into that pool.
You can use this tracker as a means of keeping up to date on the latest standout performances, quotes, injuries, and updates from the Lions as the team reports to camp today, and as they undergo an acclimation period leading into full practice on August 2.
- Lions training camp snapshot
- Top lessons learned from Lions training camp so far
- Injury updates
- Latest practice updates
- What Dan Campbell is saying
- What Jared Goff is saying
- This week's practice schedule
- Updated Lions 90-man roster
Last updated: Monday, August 10, 12pm EST
Lions training camp snapshot
• Next open practice: Tuesday, August 11
• Open practices remaining: TBD
• Next preseason game: Thursday, August 13, 7 p.m. EST (at Cincinnati Bengals)
Top lessons learned from Lions training camp so far
- Takeaway 1: The Lions' safety room remains in flux, but it does sound like both Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph are continuing to work hard on the sidelines in training camp. The Athletic's Colton Pouncy posted about how they both looked good in individual workouts and drills off to the side of training camp, which is an especially encouraging sign as it pertains to Branch.
We wrote a bit on the timeline for both safeties recently, with SideLion Report's Michael Colwander speaking to the typical timeline for a return for an achilles tear.
- Takeaway 2: You can run, you can hide, but you simply cannot avoid a huge injury during Lions training camp. This year, that title might be taken by center Cade Mays, who is expected to miss "significant" time due to a wrist fracture suffered in camp ahead of the teams' first preseason game.
The Lions' only other options at center aren't looking ideal.
- Takeaway 3: Detroit's pass rush room has a new, much nicer problem to manage: there might be too much talent in the Lions' defensive trenches for reps to go around, and the problem is being exacerbated by some surprising sources: Ahmed Hassanein and Tyler Lacy, specifically.
We wrote a bit on this major depth question for the Lions here.
Injury updates
C Cade Mays
Mays suffered a fracture in his wrist ahead of the Lions' first preseason game of the year. He was the Lions' big fish in free agency, and to see him suffer the same fate as so many other Lions offensive linemen from the last few seasons is just brutal. He'll be missing some key chemistry building time with Jared Goff.
S Kerby Joseph
Joseph, who missed significant time in 2025 with a linger knee injury, was not a participant during the first day of training camp for the Lions. Campbell told reporters that he's probably "2-3 weeks out" from being able to participate fully, but as mentioned above, it sounds like he's got his explosiveness and movement down pact.
S Brian Branch
Campbell told reporters on Wednesday that Branch is still working his way back to on-field practicing, but that he expects the safety to be ready to engage in full practice by the end of September or at least by early October.
That lines up nicely if Branch is listed as PUP ahead of the regular season kicking off, as players have to wait four weeks to be taken off that list. Those four weeks slice through that timetable for a return to practice.
LT Giovanni Manu
Manu participated in practice on Wednesday, but somehow landed on the active/NFI list. This could suggest that he suffered an injury prior to attending practice. This leaves the Lions with very limited depth at left tackle. Campbell also announced on Thursday morning that Manu will be missing at least 12-14 weeks, having re-aggrevated something he'd been dealing with in the offseason.
TE Anthony Firsker
Firsker was brought onto the training camp roster following Conklin's injury, only to fracture his tibula shortly after that signing. He has landed on the IR while the team brought on Zach Horton as a replacement.
RB Sione Vaki
Vaki suffered a freak injury in training camp on Monday, getting poked in the face and suffering an eye injury and a broken nose. He'll be out for a bit while he recovers from that, opening a hole on the Lions' special teams as well as in their thin running back room.
LB Jimmy Rolder
Rolder suffered a hamstring injury in camp, which is a big blow for a rookie that had been really impressing in minicamp and OTAs. With him out, the team was forced to bring in some veteran WILL help in the form of Devin White. He led the Las Vegas Raiders last season in tackles, so hopefully he can contribute some meaningful reps in camp for the Lions' first and second unit drills.
EDGE Derrick Moore
Moore is listed with a "minor strain," per The Athletic's Colton Pouncy, and he'll be out 7-10 days from camp. The rookie could use all the reps he can get, so this is a bit of a blow for Detroit as they're just over a week out from their first preseason game of the year.
Latest practice updates
Monday, August 10
- Cade Mays' injury has been the headliner for Lions camp to kick off this week. Seth McLaughlin is reportedly taking first team reps in his place. McLaughlin was signed back in January by the Lions, and was a starter with the Ohio State University Buckeyes. He's got some accolades from that time with OSU, so maybe there's something under the hood. We hope.
- An injury slipping under the radar thanks to Mays' injury is Isiah Pacheco. He's got an MCL sprain, per HC Dan Campbell, but should be good to go by the start of the season. Thankfully, the Lions got a deal done with Jahmyr Gibbs last week, so they have someone quite elite taking first team snaps while figuring out the rest of their whittled down running back depth.
- This is day one of the Lions post-Teddy Bridgewater (almost) retirement. Luke Altmyer and newly-signed QB Josh Dobbs are likely to get a ton of looks leading up to this week's preseason bout, with Goff a certain "no" to play in that game.
What Dan Campbell is saying
"He's taken his game to such a level right now, that, I feel like he's in this, man, he's up there...I mean, he's up there, and now...the mentality, the urgency, the leadership, the, 'Hey man, let's go. We cannot accept anything less than the best." -Dan Campbell on Jared Goff's greatness headed into this season, per Nolan Bianchi of Detroit News.
What Jared Goff is saying
"The best thing he's done so far is build something tailored to the guys we have, and I think that's difficult, coming from another building. Something you did somewhere else, does it fit for us, or not? It may be something he loves, and if doesn't fit for us, he won't do it." -Goff on new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.
This week's practice schedule
Monday, August 10
Tuesday, August 11
Wednesday, August 12
Thursday, August 13: GAME DAY
Updated Lions 90-man roster
Offense
QB: Jared Goff, Luke Altmyer, Josh Dobbs
RB: Jahmyr Gibbs, Isiah Pacheco, Sione Vaki, Jacob Saylors, Raheem Blackshear
WR: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Greg Dortch, Tom Kennedy, Lucky Jackson, Jameson Williams, Dominic Lovett, Malik Cunningham, Isaac TeSlaa, Cedrick Wilson Jr., Tay Martin
TE: Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright, Tyler Conklin, Anthony Firsker, Zach Horton
OL: Penei Sewell, Giovanni Manu, Devin Cochran, Christian Mahogany, Juice Scruggs, Miles Frazier, Ben Bartch, Cade Mays, Michael Niese, Seth McLaughlin, Tate Ratledge, Colby Sorsdal, Melvin Priestly, Blake Miller, Larry Borom, Mason Miller
Defense
DL: Alim McNeill, Tyleik Williams, Mekhi Wingo, Aidan Keanaaina, Levi Onwuzurike, Chris Smith, Skyler Gill-Howard, Myles Adams, Ben Stille
EDGE: Aidan Hutchinson, DJ Wonnum, Tyler Lacy, Derrick Moore, Tyre West, Payton Turner, Trevor Nowaske, Ahmed Hassanein
LB: Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez, Damone Clark, Jimmy Rolder, Joe Bachie, Troy Reeder, Devin White, Amen Ogbongbemiga, Ryan Cooper Jr.
CB: D.J. Reed, Keith Abney II, Roger McCreary, Rock Ya-Sin, Nick Whiteside, Khalil Dorsey, Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Aamaris Brown, Christian Izien
S: Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph, Avonte Maddox, Chuck Clark, Dan Jackson, Thomas Harper
Special teams
PK: Jake Bates
P: Jack Fox
H: Jack Fox
PR: Greg Dortch, Tom Kennedy
KR: Jacob Saylors, Tom Kennedy, Greg Dortch, Sione Vaki
LS: Hogan Hatten
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