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The latest set of position rankings from ESPN’s Mike Clay features the linebackers. It’s a position group that the Detroit Lions have steadily improved over the past couple of seasons after years of scraping the bottom of the league ratings.
The Lions predominately play with two linebackers on the field. Last year those off-ball backers were Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes, with a healthy dose of first-round rookie Jack Campbell injected in with them as well. All three are back, and Campbell is challenging Barnes for a starting role. There could be more instances where the Lions have all three on the field.
Malcolm Rodriguez has proven to be an effective between-the-tackles reserve in sub-packages. He and veteran Jalen Reeves-Maybin provide excellent depth at LB and also thrive on special teams, where Reeves-Maybin earned a Pro Bowl berth in 2023.
The Lions don’t (yet) have much star power at the position, which saddles their overall rating in the middle of the league in these rankings. In looking at the off-ball depth, Detroit stacks up incredibly well with any of the teams above them, however.
Continue reading...
The Lions predominately play with two linebackers on the field. Last year those off-ball backers were Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes, with a healthy dose of first-round rookie Jack Campbell injected in with them as well. All three are back, and Campbell is challenging Barnes for a starting role. There could be more instances where the Lions have all three on the field.
Malcolm Rodriguez has proven to be an effective between-the-tackles reserve in sub-packages. He and veteran Jalen Reeves-Maybin provide excellent depth at LB and also thrive on special teams, where Reeves-Maybin earned a Pro Bowl berth in 2023.
The Lions don’t (yet) have much star power at the position, which saddles their overall rating in the middle of the league in these rankings. In looking at the off-ball depth, Detroit stacks up incredibly well with any of the teams above them, however.
Continue reading...
