Eventually, in line with the expected expansion of the regular season, NFL preseason games may be no more. Right now there are three preseason games for most teams, besides the two teams who play in the Hall of Fame Game. That will drop to two when there are 18 regular season games. Yes, I said “when” there are 18 regular season games.

In light of a proposal that was put out there regarding changing the NFL offseason calendar, Lions head coach Dan Campbell lamented the looming loss of a preseason game as an opportunity to evaluate players who aren’t locked into a roster spot.

Starters rarely play much, or at all, in the preseason these days. Joint practices, like the ones the Lions will have against the New York Giants for two days before next Thursday night’s preseason opener, have taken the place of playing in preseason games to a large degree for a lot of teams. Those practice sessions are more controlled and planned out, without the randomness and injury risk inherent in a full-on game setting.

Dan Campbell confirms preseason plan for Jared Goff
SiriusXM NFL Radio was at Lions’ training camp on July 31. Campbell talked about the preseason plan in a broad sense, with some specifics sprinkled in.

“The preseason is, it’s a chance to really develop the young guys”, Campbell said. “That’s what I really see. And then, we’ve got some battles here that need to shake out in the preseason game. I think there’s a good chance you’re not going to see anybody that — you could probably guess who those players are. I don’t see Goff playing this preseason. I don’t see Sewell. You can guess who those guys are. I think this is a chance to develop our young guys. A chance for for Hendon Hooker to get invaluable reps.”

So there it is, confirmed if it needed to be. Jared Goff, and the Lions’ other key players, will not play in the preseason. Anything else would be a surprise.