The Detroit Lions officially open the 2017 season when rookies report for training camp on July 24.
Training camp will begin about seven months after the Lions squandered another chance to dethrone the Green Bay Packers atop the NFC North. On New Year's Day, the Lions lost to the Packers in the final game of the season — their third-straight loss — thus giving the division title to the Packers while they were relegated to the wild card game, which they lost to the Seattle Seahawks.
Head coach Jim Caldwell is back for a fourth season after going 27-21 in his first three, two of which included playoff berths — their first stretch of two playoff berths in three seasons since 1997-99. And though his roster didn't undergo dramatic changes, there are still plenty of new faces, including former Packers' guard T.J. Lang and two rookies who could start immediately.
“Obviously going to bring some leadership as well, and I think he’ll do a great job there,” Caldwell said of Lang. “You just take a look at his reputation, what he’s done, where’s he’s been – he’s won a lot of games, been involved in a lot of big games – and I think that does indeed help.
[divider]
Lions Training Camp Location
Detroit Lions Training Facility – Allen Park, Mich.
The Detroit Lions will once again hold training camp at team headquarters in Allen Park, Mich., where they have a 225,000-square-foot facility that includes a massive indoor practice field.
The facility is about 10 miles southwest of downtown and Ford Field.
[divider]
Lions Training Camp Dates
Rookies will arrive for training camp on Monday, July, 24, five days before veterans, who check in on July 29. Their first practice — open to the public — is the following Monday at 2:30 p.m.
Other notable dates include their Family Fest on Saturday, Aug. 5 at Ford Field and first preseason game on Saturday, Aug. 13.
| Date | Event Type | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, July 24 | Rookies Report | N/A |
| Saturday, July 29 | Veterans Report | N/A |
| Monday, July 31 | First Public Practice | 2:30 p.m. |
| Saturday, Aug. 5 | Lions Family Fest | 9:30 a.m. |
| Monday, Aug. 7 | Final Public Practice | 1:00 p.m. |
| Sunday, Aug. 13 | Preseason Game at Colts | 1:30 p.m. |
| Saturday, Aug. 19 | Preseason Game vs. Jets | 7:30 p.m. |
| Friday, Aug. 25 | Preseason Game vs. Patriots | 7:00 p.m. |
| Thursday, Aug. 31 | Preseason Game at Bills | 7:00 p.m. |
[divider]
Lions Training Camp Roster
The Lions' 90-man training camp roster includes 21 rookies, most notably first-round pick Jarrad Davis, a linebacker from Florida, and second-round pick Teez Tabor, a cornerback also from the Gators. A lot of eyes will also be on former Eastern Michigan star Pat O'Connor, a defensive end selected in the seventh round.
They have also 20 more players entering their second or third seasons, while only with 10 or more years of NFL experience: kicker Matt Prater, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and long snapper Don Muhlbach.
| No. | NAME | POS. | HT. | WT. | AGE | EXP. | COLLEGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Abbrederis, Jared | WR | 6-1 | 195 | 26 | 4 | Wisconsin |
| 21 | Abdullah, Ameer | RB | 5-9 | 203 | 24 | 3 | Nebraska |
| 39 | Agnew, Jamal | CB | 5-10 | 185 | 22 | R | San Diego |
| 94 | Ansah, Ezekiel | DE | 6-5 | 275 | 28 | 5 | Brigham Young |
| 50 | Armbrister, Thurston | LB | 6-3 | 235 | 24 | 3 | Miami (Fla.) |
| 41 | Asiata, Matt | RB | 6-0 | 219 | 29 | 6 | Utah |
| 29 | Bademosi, Johnson | CB | 6-0 | 206 | 26 | 6 | Stanford |
| 38 | Barnes, Adairius | CB | 5-11 | 188 | 23 | 2 | Louisiana Tech |
| 82 | Barnes, Brandon | TE | 6-5 | 256 | 23 | R | Alabama State |
| 79 | Barrett, Alex | DE | 6-3 | 255 | 23 | R | San Diego State |
| 43 | Bellore, Nick | LB | 6-1 | 250 | 28 |
