The Detroit Lions painfully ended their impressive season. But now it’s time to look ahead. Over the next two weeks, MLive will hand out reviews for each of the team’s position groups. Today: Linebackers. Previously: Quarterbacks | Running backs | Wide receivers/tight ends | Offensive line | Defensive Line/EDGE
LINEBACKERS
Starters (from end of season): Alex Anzalone, Jack Campbell, Trevor Nowaske
Backups: Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Ben Niemann, Trevor Nowaske, David Long Jr., Mitchell Agude, Anthony Pittman, Zeke Turner, Kwon Alexander
Injured: Malcolm Rodriguez, Derrick Barnes
Key stats: Jack Campbell started and played in every game this season, leading the team with 131 combined tackles. As he took on more responsibility in the Lions’ defense, his special teams snap count dropped by 90, while his defensive snaps increased by 335.
Alex Anzalone missed seven games due to injuries and illness, including six with a broken forearm, but still ranked second on the team with seven tackles for loss.
The Lions saw a decline in their run defense but remained in the top five, allowing 98.4 rushing yards per game. Given the injuries and roster turnover this season, linebackers coach — now defensive coordinator — Kelvin Sheppard did an admirable job scheming and preparing the group.
Kory’s grade: C
Breakdown: Heading into the season, the Lions’ linebacker corps was one of their deepest units, with solid depth ready to step in if any of the three starters went down with an injury.
But what happens when you not only lose two key starters for a significant portion, if not all, of the season, but also most of your backups? You’re left with Jack Campbell for all 17 games, playing alongside a rotating cast of new pieces.
Derrick Barnes, coming off a productive third season, was lost for the year after just three games due to a knee injury. His versatility — dropping into coverage, rushing the passer, and even lining up as an edge rusher when needed — was a key missing piece from the Lions’ front seven. With Barnes sidelined, Malcolm Rodriguez saw increased playing time.
After starting 15 games as a rookie in 2022, “Rodrigo” opened this season as the Lions’ fourth linebacker. He took on an even bigger role when another key starter — more on that shortly — suffered a major injury. As the Lions shifted to a linebacker-by-committee approach, injuries continued to pile up, and Rodriguez himself eventually went down, tearing his ACL in a Week 13 win over the Chicago Bears.
Alex Anzalone, the team’s leading tackler from last season and their best coverage linebacker, was having a solid year. Heading into Week 11 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had 51 tackles, six for loss, four quarterback hits, four passes defended, and one sack.
Unfortunately for Detroit, during their 52-6 win over Jacksonville, Anzalone suffered a broken forearm, sidelining him for the next six games. He returned in Week 18 against the Minnesota Vikings, recording seven tackles, one quarterback hit, and one pass defended to help the Lions secure their second straight NFC North title and lock up the conference’s No. 1 seed.
Last but certainly not least, Jalen Reeves-Maybin missed seven games due to an upper-body injury. His absence was felt not just on special teams, where he earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors last season, but also as a key reserve linebacker.
With injuries depleting the unit, the Lions were forced to sign players off the street, including David Long Jr. and Zeke Turner, while also poaching Anthony Pittman — who played in Detroit last season — and Kwon Alexander from practice squads.
“When you come away, in hindsight, looking at this after what just happened, you’re like, ‘Man, can we ever have enough defensive depth? Is that possible?’” Lions head coach Dan Campbell pondered after their divisional round loss to the Washington Commanders.
“Because we were loaded — you don’t think about losing ones and twos in nearly every group. But you only have 53 spots. We’re going to look at everything, but this was one of those bizarre, freakish years.”
With so much turnover due to injuries, it’s difficult to fairly grade the linebacker unit this season. The lack of continuity forced then-defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and position coach Kelvin Sheppard into a constant plug-and-play situation.
However, despite the circumstances, Zeke Turner made the most of his opportunity in Detroit and should be a candidate to return next season.
Signed on Nov. 6 and promoted to the active roster ahead of Week 10 against Jacksonville, Turner appeared in nine games, recording 12 combined tackles and three quarterback hits. He became a key rotational piece on defense and a core contributor on special teams, logging 176 snaps. His efforts earned praise from Dan Campbell and special teams coordinator Dave Fipp toward the end of the season.
Standing tall through all of it was second-year linebacker Jack Campbell. His pass coverage remains a work in progress — he allowed 35 completions on 45 targets for 436 yards, per Pro Football Reference, with opposing quarterbacks posting a 114.4 passer rating when targeting him.
However, his missed tackles dropped slightly, and he doubled his pressures from last season, finishing with eight. Heading into next season, the experience of playing an elevated role for six games without Anzalone should benefit Campbell’s development and readiness for a larger role in 2025.
