The Detroit Lions’ SAM linebacker position isn’t for everybody. This offseason alone, the Lions have attempted to give those duties to both Mathieu Betts and James Houston, before scaling back those complicated roles from both defenders to allow them to focus on just being a pass rusher. But for Derrick Barnes, the SAM linebacker position hasn’t been a source of struggle. Rather, it’s been his opportunity to shine.
Last year, Barnes took such a big step in his development that for the first half of the regular season, he staved off first-round selection Jack Campbell for the MIKE linebacker position—which is commonly referred to as the “quarterback of the defense.” Barnes thrived there, but it was only a matter of time before Detroit was going to shift Campbell into that role full-time, and that has been the case this offseason.
But Detroit has seen the value in Barnes so much that they’ve made this SAM linebacker role a part of their base defense. But what is the SAM linebacker role, and what makes Barnes so good at it while other edge defenders and linebackers struggle?
In short, the SAM linebacker role is an edge position—the fifth player on the line in Detroit’s base defense. They’re typically standing up rather than having their hands in the dirt like a defensive end. In order to be an effective SAM linebacker, you have to possess three essential qualities: the ability to pass rush, the athleticism to drop into coverage, and the schematic intelligence to understand how offenses are trying to trick you in the run game.
“Those guys have to be able to understand the triangle when it comes to guard-center-guard and guard pulls and things like that to be able to play,” defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn explained this week. “You’re right, it is a unique set that you have to have, but you also have to be a good rusher and be able to drop in coverage.”
The triangle read Glenn is referring to how linebackers read their keys on a play based on the movement of the interior offensive line.
Barnes is the perfect blend of all those things. He has his pass rushing chops from his first three years at Purdue, culminating in a 7.5-sack season in 2019. Since arriving in Detroit, he’s developed as an off-ball linebacker, gradually improving in his coverage drops and identifying his run keys. His mastery of the defense was obvious last year after earning the starting MIKE job out of training camp. And, quite frankly, he’s always had the athletic profile to be a multi-faceted defensive weapon.
“Barnes is the complete player at that position,” Glenn said. “You try to identify players like that in college that play behind the ball, that can actually get on the edge and do those things.”
The role isn’t completely new for Barnes. He played it occasionally last year—primarily on third down—and when I asked him about adding a little pass rush to his role in 2023, he couldn’t hold back his excitement.
“When we came into the meeting room and (coaches) said I would have that role on third down, it was like... I couldn’t stop smiling,” Barnes said. “I was texting my wife like, ‘I get to rush! I get to stop the run, and I get to go after the quarterback on third down!’ It’s a role, obviously you guys know, that I played at Purdue that really helped me out a lot to be able to stop the run then go get a sack. It’s amazing on critical downs.”
What was a situational role last year, though, has now become a base package for the Lions, and that means Barnes will be an essential player at the position.
“Very important because we play base quite a bit,” Glenn said. “And like I said before, it’s hard to find that player.”
