It's finally here! The Detroit Lions' first preseason game will be played tonight against the Cincinnati Bengals.
There are loads of storylines to keep an eye out for tonight as rookies make their debut and bubble players fight to earn their place on the 53-man roster.
Perhaps the most important unit to pay attention to in this first preseason game is the safety unit. Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch are out, and may miss time during the regular season as they recover from their respective injuries.
"Legion of Whom" standouts Avonte Maddox and Thomas Harper are back for their second season with the Lions. This time, they'll will be joined by free agent signees Chuck Clark and Christian Izien.
Clark is a well-experienced veteran, who has started 80 of his 123 career games. He's spent most of his career with the Baltimore Ravens, but has spent the past two with the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets. Clark has fit this team like a glove so far in training camp, with his veteran instincts and leadership being worthy of praise.
Izien is entering his fourth NFL season, after playing his entire career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Izien will fill in more of a nickelback role on defense, but has managed to pull in an interception during camp. Nothing too new for him, as he intercepted Jared Goff in the Lions' 2024 matchup against the Buccaneers, which Tampa would go on to win.
Above both in the current depth chart is Maddox, who has left little doubt that he deserves it throughout camp. Lions hope Maddox can continue his relatively strong performance in place of Branch if needed, after he started three of the final four games of the 2025 season.
In 2025, Maddox finished last season with a 79.1 grade on Pro Football Focus, tenth among 98 qualified safeties. In his three starts, Maddox was the second highest-graded defense player on the Lions in two of those games (84.9 and 83.2) and the lowest-graded in the other (42.4). All three of those games were against playoff teams, with that 83.2 performance coming against eventual MVP Matthew Stafford.
Bengals' starters will be on the prowl in Cincinnati
It's unclear which safety will play, and for how long. Whoever does play will be going against most of the Bengals' starters on offense. That includes plenty of star power in quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
While the first preseason game may not be the time for overreactions, it will be a significant test for how Joseph and Branch's potential early-season replacements will look against an elite QB-pass catcher combination -- even if it's only for one or two drives.
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One or two drives is still plenty of time to see how well defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard has prepared his defense against starters looking to put up numbers for their home fans. The safety unit is going to be targeted. Without Joseph and Branch, it's a glaring weakpoint on defense that Burrow is likely to exploit.
A strong safety performance against the Bengals would be a huge blessing for the Lions as they manage Joseph and Branch's recovery going forward, giving the team faith that the "Legion of Whom" is back and better than ever heading into Week 1.
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