The Lions are finally back in action tonight. With several starters sitting, the preseason opener gives rookies, backups and roster hopefuls a huge chance to make their case.
It’s official, the Lions are back and playing football tonight, kicking off their first preseason game of the year against the Cincinnati Bengals. Bengals HC Zac Taylor said that key players, including QB Joe Burrow, WR Ja’Marr Chase, WR Tee Higgins, and DT Dexter Lawrence, will play. Detroit will be taking a different approach, as Dan Campbell has already ruled out Jared Goff among some other starters.
This will be a great opportunity for multiple players to solidify a spot on the 53-man roster, as Detroit will have to cut down to 53 players in a little over three weeks. With the Bengals starting a lot of their starters through the first two drives, this will give an excellent test for backups and positional battles to pan out for Dan Campbell to see who is truly leading the race and who can truly stack up against starter-level competition.
Players to Keep an Eye On
QB Luke Altmyer
Luke Altmyer comes into Detroit as an undrafted free agent after playing at Illinois. Altmyer has now moved up the depth chart due to the recent retirement of former Lions backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
We should expect to see a high dosage of Altmyer playing tonight, as he and Josh Dobbs are the only quarterbacks who will likely see playing time in tonight’s game. Dobbs was brought in last week after Bridgewater announced his retirement. Having only spent a handful of days on the roster, it is hard to imagine that Dobbs will play the majority of the game over Altmyer, paving the way for Altmyer to showcase that he could potentially be a reliable quarterback despite being an undrafted rookie going into the season.
Edge Ahmed Hassanein
Hassanein was drafted by the Lions in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, but after suffering an injury that would end his season before the preseason began, he will have to work his way back into the rotation.
With Detroit continuing to look for that edge rusher to go opposite Aidan Hutchinson, Hassanein could carve out a role and end up making the 53-man roster. Most notably, he has switched from being a “rush end” to a “big end,” a change that could potentially benefit him in earning a roster spot.
Nick Whiteside
If you have been keeping up with the Lions during training camp, you will have known that Whiteside has begun to make quite the name for himself. Currently listed as the backup cornerback behind D.J. Reed, Whiteside has had an outstanding camp and now has a chance to prove himself against other team competition.
It is unclear if Whiteside will get reps while Cincinnati is running its starters, but if he does, he will be tasked with going up against some of the best, including Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Michael Niese and Seth McLaughlin
Both of these players will be important to watch, as starting center Cade Mays suffered a wrist injury that will keep him out 8-10 weeks, and presumed backup center Juice Scruggs is dealing with a soft-tissue injury and is unlikely to play.
McLaughlin has been taking starting reps in training camp with the first team and is reportedly set to start. Both players went undrafted, but Niese has been with the Lions since 2023, appearing in every game in 2024 and eight games in 2025 for Detroit.
Keith Abney
Abney comes into Detroit as a fifth-round rookie drafted in the 2026 NFL Draft. Currently, Abney is listed behind Rock Ya-Sin and Ennis Rakestraw.
Earlier this week, when Dan Campbell was chatting with the media, this is what he had to say about Abney, saying that Keith Abney is “pretty smart and headsy for a rookie.” He likes where he’s at as a rookie and said that his instincts will always “give him a chance.”
We likely won’t see Abney until the second half, but he should be expected to get a good deal of playing time.
