Patriots Will Have 3 Joint Practices With Lions Ahead Of Preseason Opener
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots will have a trio of joint practice sessions with the Detroit Lions ahead of their preseason opener, the Lions announced Friday.
Bill Belichick and his Patriots will head to Detroit to practice with Matt Patricia and his Lions from August 5-7, leading up to their preseason opener in Motown on August 8. This is the second joint practice the Patriots have scheduled this summer, as they'll take the field with the Titans in Tennessee the following week ahead of preseason game No. 2.
In both instances, Belichick will be coaching with a former Patriots. Patricia was an assistant coach in New England for 14 years before taking the head coaching job in Detroit in 2018, while Titans head coach Mike Vrabel played under Belichick from 2001-08, winning three Super Bowl titles while in a Patriots uniform.
Joint practices have become common for the Patriots over the years, though they did not have any joint sessions last season. They had joint practices with the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017, and joint sessions with the New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears in 2016.