With a staff and an abundance of new players, the Lions’ veterans will receive their share of preseason playing time.
Detroit head coach Dan Campbell told reporters on Monday that the starters will play about a quarter in the team’s preseason opener.
“We talked about it yesterday as a staff, and we feel like we need to see them play,” Campbell said, via Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. “So I think we’re looking at about a quarter this first preseason game against Buffalo. We’ll just kind of take it like it is right now. Instead of worrying too much about where we’re at for Indianapolis for that [third preseason game], let’s just take it as it comes and get these guys playing together in game-like situations. We’re calling it as coaches, going through the whole mechanics of all of it. So I think we’ll shoot for around a quarter, somewhere in there.”
Campbell noted that most of the preparation the Lions have to do for the Bills is about their defensive front, since Buffalo plays four down linemen in its base package. But other than that, Campbell just wants the players to go out and play.
“Other than that, this is call what we call, do what we’re comfortable with, where we can really let these guys cut it loose with plays they know by heart,” Campbell said. “They don’t have to think a lot. And just see what the player looks like.”
Detroit takes on Buffalo this Friday at 7 p.m. ET.