Dan Campbell has made Detroit’s spring focus clear. During the Lions’ 2026 OTA period, 7-on-7, 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills are allowed, but live contact is not, so the staff is using these Lions OTA practices to judge communication, alignment and command of the scheme more than physical play.
Campbell drove that point home in his May 29 media session, when he called this part of the offseason a “pajama party.” He was drawing a line around what can actually be learned in shorts and helmets, especially on a roster installing new ideas on offense and sorting through early role changes during Lions OTA work.
Why the mental side matters more right now
Detroit entered this spring with a new offensive coordinator in Drew Petzing, and that alone puts extra weight on clean operation. The club’s OTA preview also highlighted offensive-line movement, including Penei Sewell working at left tackle, which adds another layer to protection calls and line communication.
Those are the details coaches can actually evaluate in this Lions OTA setting. Assignment soundness, pre-snap checks, route spacing and protection identification all show up before pads ever do.
Jimmy Rolder’s MIKE reps stand out for a reason
One of the clearest clues from early practice came at linebacker. Jimmy Rolder spent significant Week 1 time at MIKE linebacker, a role that puts him in charge of seeing the defense, fitting the front and making the calls.
That is a demanding assignment for a rookie in May. Detroit is not asking him to win with force right now, it is asking him to process, speak and keep the structure intact when the offense shifts or motions.
For the depth chart, that matters more than a spring highlight. Backup linebacker jobs could hinge on who gets the defense lined up fastest and who handles volume without hesitation, especially in a role tied directly to communication during Lions OTA practices.
The secondary can show more in this format
Defensive backs usually get more usable work from this phase than linemen do. Recognition, leverage, route exchanges and coverage handoffs can all be stressed in unpadded practices, and those are the exact areas that tend to separate players fighting for snaps.
Rookies feel that pressure quickly. The information load rises fast in the NFL, and spring practices can expose which players are absorbing terminology, adjusting to checks and playing fast without freezing before the snap.
Detroit has another reason to stay disciplined
The non-contact rules are not just a technicality for this staff. Detroit had to forfeit a June 10, 2024 OTA practice after the NFL and NFLPA found the club violated offseason player work rules tied to on-field physical contact.
That backdrop makes Campbell’s framing even more practical. The Lions are treating this stretch as install work on grass, where the cleanest evaluation comes from communication and execution, not collisions that are not allowed anyway.
Where this shows up before training camp
Offensively, the pressure point is obvious. Petzing’s system and the line shuffle put extra attention on how quickly Detroit can sort protections, adjustments and timing when Sewell is working on the left side and combinations are still being tested.
Defensively, Rolder’s workload at MIKE could shape one of the more interesting roster battles before camp. If he keeps handling the calls, the fight for linebacker snaps behind the top group may come down to who can relay checks cleanly, settle the front and keep the secondary connected once the pace rises in the next phase of Lions OTA and offseason work.
