Which Lions Starters Will Play in Preseason Game 2?
My predictions, plus the latest Lions injury updates from Dan Campbell
The Detroit Lions play the Washington Commanders on August 22 in their second preseason game. There is a massive shift in preseason philosophy for 2026 - the Lions will actually play starters this year. Part of the reason is the lack of joint practices. Part of it is the embarrassingly start in Week 1 vs the Packers last year. Part of it may be that seats are getting warm.
This is what Dan Campbell said on August 17 in his latest press conference.
Not everybody will play. We are going to play a significant amount of starters.
So let me try to predict who will play - with health considerations in mind.
🔴Not playing
🟡Could go either way
🟢Playing
LIONS OFFENSE PREDICTIONS
🟢Quarterback
Whether Jared Goff plays will determine if a bunch of other starters play - like Amon-Ra, Jameson, LaPorta, and Penei. There is no point risking all those other stars if Goff isn’t out there. Thus, I expect Jared Goff to play. The Lions can keep the risk low by calling quick passes and instructing Goff to turf it if there is any semblance of pressure.
🟢Offensive Line
I expect all 5 projected starters to play, given how poorly the line played last year in Week 1. This would mean Penei Sewell, Christian Mahogany, Seth McLaughlin, Tate Ratledge, and Blake Miller are in. Sewell comes out of the game first, whenever Goff comes out.
Starting center contender, Juice Scruggs, is still limited with his soft tissue injury so he may not be ready yet.
🟡Tight End
How the Lions handle Sam LaPorta in preseason will be very interesting. His disc herniation issue was an accumulation injury over time from playing football. The microdiscectomy has helped resolve the nerve damage symptoms, but there is a chance of recurrence over time. The more he plays football, the more likely of a recurrence. Thus, the prudent thing would be to sit LaPorta all preseason.
See my earlier story for more on LaPorta’s spine…
🟡Wide Receiver
Jameson Williams currently has a mild shoulder injury, so I expect him to be out as a precaution.
I expect Amon-Ra St. Brown to play, but the Lions need to be careful with him given his 2025 offseason knee cleanup surgery and then subsequent minor right knee injury later in the season.
Isaac TeSlaa will play as he looks to rebound from a subpar Game 1 performance.
🔴Running Back
Hopefully, the Lions learned from the Arizona Cardinals mistake of giving #3 overall pick Jeremiyah Love 14 touches in his first preseason game… resulting in a multi-week high ankle sprain. Don’t take chances with a star RB. There is nothing to be gained by playing Jahmyr Gibbs here.
LIONS DEFENSE PREDICTIONS
🟢Defensive Tackle
I expect the two entrenched starters, Alim McNeill and Tyleik Williams, to play a little bit. McNeill had a slow year last season coming back from his ACL, but is a proven player. Second-year Williams has more to work on and more to prove, so he stays in the game longer.
🟢Linebacker
Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes don’t need much, if any, work as they’ve been with the team for years. Barnes still is wearing a right knee wrap from an injury 2 weeks ago, so he may sit as a precaution. I expect both to play, but any playing time they get will be short.
🟡Edge
There isn’t any value to playing Aidan Hutchinson. He knows the defense and he knows the scheme. His tib/fib fracture in 2024 is a perfect example of the fluky risks you take with any snap. I expect the Lions to keep their $45M/year investment safely on the bench.
Second-round rookie, Derrick Moore, might be a starter, but he’s just coming back from a groin strain. I expect him to sit out.
DJ Wonnum is the current projected starter opposite Hutchinson, and I expect Wonnum to play.
🟡Cornerback
DJ Reed is just coming back from a mild groin strain, thus I don’t expect him to play. No need to risk another long-term strain like last year’s hamstring.
The other starting outside CB, Rock Ya-Sin, is 30-years-old and probably doesn’t have much to gain from being out there. But he may get some playing time.
The nickel starter is still up in the air which means that all healthy contenders will play including rookie Keith Abney, Roger McCreary, and Christian Izien.
🔴Safety
Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch are still on PUP, so they are obviously out.
All the Week 1 starting contenders should play, including Chuck Clark, Thomas Harper, and Avonte Maddox. Clark had a slight concern for a mild concussion in preseason Game 1, so that is something to watch even though he was not diagnosed with a concussion. Maddox didn’t play in Game 1 for unknown reasons.
Detroit Lions Latest Injury Updates
Dan Campbell offered some injury updates during yesterday’s presser. His quotes and my analysis are below.
🔴Bad news or high concern
🟡Uncertain or moderately concerning
🟢Good news or low concern
🟢Juice Scruggs - Soft tissue recovery
Juice capped on reps.
Scruggs suffered a soft tissue injury around August 9. It’s good to see him ramping up.
🟡Levi Onwuzurike - Unspecified setback
We have ramped him up… then he had a little setback, but I anticipate him being out there today.
This news was a surprise as there weren’t any reports of an injury. Onwuzurike played in preseason Game 1 and looked good. Recall that he is recovering from an ACL in around May of 2025. If this setback is related to the ACL, that would be of major concern. The good news is he’s already back to practice which is a reassuring sign.
🟢Nick Whiteside - Hamstring injury
He’ll be alright though. These aren’t serious.
Mild hamstrings are extremely common in camp, and not much of a concern. Dan Campbell did not seem worried.
🟢Jameson Williams - Shoulder injury
He’s good to go though.
You don’t want to hear about a shoulder injury to a star WR, but reading Campbell’s body language suggests there isn’t much to worry about here.
🔴Ben Bartch - Lisfranc?
I don’t think Bartch will be out there either.
Bartch’s health status is becoming a big concern. He had Lisfranc surgery in December of 2025 which has a notoriously tricky and uncertain recovery. He missed all of Lions offseason related to the Lisfranc. Now, he has missed much of training camp. Is this still a Lisfranc issue or something else? If his Lisfranc is still bothering him 8 months post-surgery, that means he may not be able to play this season.
🟢Jacob Saylors - Returns to practice
Saylors had a left ankle sprain in the first preseason game. The video was very benign. He is already back to practice 4 days later and looks like will be available for the second preseason game if the Lions choose.