Dan Campbell has indicated that Detroit Lions rookies—including those picked early in the draft—will likely see some preseason action.
In just a few days, the Detroit Lions will kick off the 2025 NFL preseason by facing the Los Angeles Chargers in the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday night. The outcome won’t matter, but the game gives both teams a chance to get their rosters some valuable on-field experience.
As always, the big question is which players will actually suit up. Typically, starters are held out of early preseason games, but Lions head coach Dan Campbell offered a glimpse of his approach with younger players. When asked if rookies would play, Campbell emphasized the value of giving them at least some game experience.
“I think all of those guys need to play in a game, or games,” Campbell explained. “So, I think our young guys are going to—I see them playing in this game. Now, am I going to say that it’s written in stone right now? No, I’m not. But I think I’d like to play those guys. That’s the good news. We got four games here starting with the Hall of Fame to get them some reps, so that’ll be the plan.”
Although Campbell didn’t specify names, it seems clear he was pointing to top rookies: defensive tackle Tyleik Williams and offensive lineman Tate Ratledge. Both are projected to start in Week 1, which makes preseason play a slight risk. Still, with their expected roles, getting game-ready is essential.
That experience could be especially important for Ratledge, who took reps at center in his first three camp practices before moving back to right guard—his college position—over the past few days.
“We’re putting a lot on him,” Campbell said earlier this week. “He’s drinking out of a fire hose right now. But there are things that we saw with him in college at Georgia that we felt like, ‘You know what? We think this guy can play center.’ We knew it was going to take some time. When that’s something you haven’t done in games, it’s going to take a minute.”
It remains to be seen whether Ratledge will play center or guard in preseason action—or whether he’ll return to guard during Monday’s training camp session. Either way, it looks like he—and the entire rookie group—will get solid preseason snaps.
