This is a big week for the Detroit Lions. They’re getting in their first joint practices of the summer, welcoming the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday and Thursday. In the past, Lions coach Dan Campbell has emphasized the importance of these practices for the starters, likening them to full-on competitive game reps that they can control and set up.

With that in mind, here are the five biggest things we will be watching when these teams take the field at the Maijer Performance Center:

How does the offensive line hold up?

The Lions have experienced some issues with their offensive line this summer. It’s not hard to understand why, though. Taylor Decker has missed most of camp, and the interior of the line is completely brand new. It’s not like things have been a mess, and there’s been some progress made. The good news is that Monday was a good day for them.

Now, we’ll see what this group looks like against another team’s defense for the first time this summer. There hasn’t been word on whether Decker will be a part of that; he’s been slowly working his way back this summer. It will be interesting to see how the interior of Graham Glasgow, Tate Ratledge, and Christian Mahogany work together during the next two days.

Lions corners against Tyreek Hill

All the drama happening with Hill and the Dolphins doesn’t matter. He’s still on the team, and he’s still super fast, and he’s still a problem for defensive backs.

That’s why we’re intrigued to see what the Lions’ corners look like against him. It would be great to see Terrion Arnold out there, but at this time, he’s still hurt. At least that was the info we got on Monday. Still, let’s see D.J. Reed out here. Let’s see what Nick Whiteside can do, maybe. Let’s see who can handle the speed after weeks of trying to stop Jameson Williams.

Isaac TeSlaa

We’re watching to see how much TeSlaa works with the first team in these joint practices. It could give us the answer on where the Lions see him going into Week 1. If he’s out there a lot, he will jump Tim Patrick for that WR3 spot. If he’s not, then he still needs to work a little bit more.

Since the pads have come on, TeSlaa has come on too. He’s proven to be a great blocker and someone who can get separation and make some plays. He’s also shown that contested catches aren’t a problem.

Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport

Both of these players have looked exceptional against their own offense this summer, but now it’s time to go up against a unit that isn’t their own.

For Hutchinson, this is the first opposing offense he’s gone up against since Week 6 last season. Let’s see how he handles this offensive line and how many times he can get to Tua Tagovailoa. For Devenport, let’s see if all the pressure and sacks we’re seeing from him translate in the joint practice. You hate to say this, but let’s also see if he can get through it without getting hurt.

John Morton and Kelvin Sheppard’s play calling

I wouldn’t expect this to be super vanilla like a preseason game. The Lions are likely to try some things during these practices, just like the Dolphins. This could be our first real glimpse at what the offense can do with Morton, and see if he has any tricks up his sleeve.

As for Sheppard, we know what he can do to a point. This defense has been killing it all summer long. These joint practices provide an opportunity to see them against a fairly strong offense.

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