5 things we’re watching for at the Lions and Dolphins joint practices, Time for some big answers on Isaac TeSlaa and more originally appeared on A to Z Sports.
This is a big week for the Detroit Lions. They’re getting in their first joint practices of the summer, welcoming the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday and Thursday. In the past, Lions head coach Dan Campbell has talked a lot about how he sees these practices as very important for the starters because it’s like getting full-on competitive game reps that they can control and set up.
With that in mind, here are the five biggest things we’re going to be watching when these teams take the field at the Maijer Performance Center:
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How does the offensive line hold up?
The Lions have had some offensive line issues this summer. It’s not hard to understand why, though. Taylor Decker has missed most of camp, and the interior of the line is completely brand new. It’s not like things have been a mess, but there’s been some gelling going on. The good news is that Monday was a really good day for them.
Now we’re going to see what this group looks like against another team’s defense for the first time this summer. No word yet on whether or not Decker will be a part of that as he’s been slowly working back in this summer. It’s going to be interesting to see how the interior of Graham Glasgow, Tate Ratledge, and Christian Mahogany work together in these two days.
Lions corners against Tyreek Hill
All the drama happening with Hill and the Dolphins doesn’t matter. He’s still on this team, and he’s still super fast and he’s still a problem for defensive backs. That’s why we’re looking forward to seeing what the Lions’ corners look like against him. It would be great to see Terrion Arnold out there, but at this time, he’s still hurt. At least that was the info we got on Monday. Still, let’s see D.J. Reed out here. Let’s see what Nick Whiteside can do, maybe. Let’s see who can handle the speed after weeks of trying to stop Jameson Williams.
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Isaac TeSlaa
We’re interested to see how much the Lions work in TeSlaa with the first team in these joint practices. It could give us the answer on where they see him going into Week 1. If he’s out there a lot, he’s going to jump Tim Patrick for that WR3 spot. If he’s not, then he still needs to work a little bit more.
Since the pads have come on, TeSlaa has come on too. He’s shown to be a great blocker and someone who can get separation and make some plays. He’s also shown that contested catches aren’t a problem.
Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport
Both of these guys have looked exceptional against their own offense this summer, but now it’s time to go up against a unit that isn’t their own and therefore might be looking to embarrass someone just a little bit more.
For Hutchinson, this is the first offense he’s gone up against since Week 6 last season. Let’s see how he handles this offensive line and how many times he can get to Tua Tagovailoa. For Devenport, let’s see if all the pressure and sacks we’re seeing from him translate in the joint practice. You hate to say this, but let’s also see if he can get through it without getting hurt.
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John Morton and Kelvin Sheppard’s play call
I wouldn’t expect this to be super vanilla like a preseason game. The Lions are likely to try some things during these practices, just like the Dolphins are. This could be our first real glimpse at what the offense can do with Morton, and maybe see if he has any tricks up his sleeve.
As for Sheppard, we know what he can do to a point. This defense has been killing it all summer long. Here’s a chance to see them against a pretty good offense.
This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Aug 12, 2025, where it first appeared.