A dozen Detroit Lions veterans with something to prove this training camp
Allen Park — The Detroit Lions will open their 2025 training camp on Sunday with eyes on a third consecutive division crown, a deeper postseason run, hopefully all culminating in the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance.
However, to achieve those lofty goals, the team must put in the day-to-day work, focusing on incremental improvement through that grind. And at the heart of improvement time of year is competition. Each day, the roster will compete against themselves and their teammates to perfect their craft.
By the end of next month, the roster will be pared down to 53. Many of those jobs are already spoken for, and there’s another clear group who enter camp on the bubble. Finally, there are the long shots, where a handful will inevitably emerge to claim one of the final few spots or a place on the team’s 16-man practice squad, where they’ll continue the daily battle for their opportunity.
Heading into camp, every player has something to prove, even Detroit’s All-Pros. But here are a dozen Lions meriting a little more of our attention, from players returning from injuries, to veterans at career crossroads, to draft picks who haven’t lived up to their potential, and more recent selections hoping to avoid the same.
On the mend
Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson
Hutchinson has already cleared several major hurdles in his return from last year's broken leg. The next big test will be when the pads come on, followed by joint practices with the Dolphins and Texans. That will provide a better barometer of whether Detroit's star pass-rusher is all the way back.
When he went down last year, Hutchinson was well on his way to blowing away his previous career-high for sacks and winning the league's Defensive Player of the Year Award. If he can be 80-90% of that guy in 2025, it would be a huge win.
Linebacker Derrick Barnes
After two up-and-down years to begin his career, things finally clicked for Barnes in his third season. He looked primed to take things to another level in his fourth year but landed on the shelf with PCL and MCL tears after taking a helmet to the knee in Week 3.