Detroit Lions to officially hold joint practices with Texans

The Detroit Lions announced their training camp schedule last week, and, as expected, it featured a set of joint practices with the New England Patriots before their preseason opener on August 8. It will be another chance for Lions head coach Matt Patricia to square off against his mentor, Bill Belichick.

The following week, Patricia will get a chance to compete with another former colleague. The Houston Texans released their training camp schedule over the weekend, and it includes two joint practices with the Lions on August 14 and 15. The Texans’ head coach, of course, is former Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.

That means, much like last year, Detroit will hold two sets of joint practices this year. Last year, the Lions hosted the New York Giants and traveled to Oakland for a couple practices against the Raiders. The benefit of these types of practices is a little higher intensity training prior to the season and a different set of players to compete against.

Since general manager Bob Quinn has come to Detroit, these practices have become a regular thing for the Lions, and it appears that will continue as long as the league allows.