The Detroit Lions' practice intensity has been under fire in recent years due to the preponderance of injuries. An appearance by Fred Warner on the St. Brown Podcast stoked the flames.
Fred Warner isn't a fan of the Lions' physical practice philosophy 🏈 pic.twitter.com/IkFjWGMoqt
— St. Brown Podcast (@StBrownPodcast) January 31, 2026
I did a full analysis of the Lions training camp injuries in 2025 and 2024 at JimmyLiaoMD.com
The following are excerpts from my story:
Lions 2025 training camp injury analysis
- Terrion Arnold - calf, hamstring
- Derrick Barnes - finger
- Graham Glasgow - left lower leg
- Ahmed Hassanein - leg
- Dan Jackson - leg, missed season
- Jamarco Jones - ankle, missed season
- Sam LaPorta - unspecified
- Dominic Lovett - abdomen
- Brodric Martin - foot
- Pat O’Connor - leg
- Tim Patrick - hamstring
- Ennis Rakestraw - shoulder injury & surgery, missed season
- Kye Robichaux - shoulder, missed season
- Sione Vaki - hamstring
Looking at the list, one key injury jumps out that is due to “live” tackling - Ennis Rakestraw’s shoulder.
Overall, there doesn’t seem to be a huge preponderance of acute, long-term injuries related to “live” tackling during training camp. But there may have been a few.
Does this mean the benefits of “live” tackling outweigh the risks? Maybe yes, but it’s certainly up for debate.
Bottom line
Risk vs reward should be regularly revisited when it comes to practice methods. With Fred Warner’s revelation that there are teams that completely avoid live tackling in training camp, it’s worth it for the Lions to re-evaluate their philosophy. - Jimmy Liao MD
For the full story of Lions 2025-2024 training camp injuries: Visit JimmyLiaoMD.com Training Camp Injury Analysis
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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Do the Detroit Lions need to rethink their practice approach?