The good: The linebacker room entered the season as one of Detroit's deepest position groups and that depth was certainly tested with all the injuries they suffered.
The one constant all season was Jack Campbell, who took his game to another level in his second season. Campbell played every game for the Lions this season and was a rock in the middle of a defense that went through a ton of change at every level due to injury. Campbell was an important glue piece to keep it all together defensively as he also stepped into a leadership role.
Campbell was one of four linebackers in the NFL this year to log at least 125 tackles, five tackles for loss, five passes defended and one forced fumble. He is the first Lion since 1994 to produce at least 200 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and five passes defended through two career seasons.
Alex Anzalone turned 30 this season but only injury could slow down the eight-year veteran. His seven tackles for loss were tied for second most on the team to only Brian Branch's eight, despite Anzalone playing in only 10 games.
Detroit ranked fifth against the run this season, allowing on average 98.4 yards per game on the ground. Detroit ranked in the Top 10 in the league in fewest 10-plus-yard runs allowed.
The Lions were also No. 1 in the league in third-down efficiency (32.4 percent).
| Name | Games | Tackles | TFL | Sack | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Campbell | 17 | 131 | 5 | 1.5 | 1 | 0 |
| Alex Anzalone | 10 | 63 | 7 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Malcolm Rodriguez | 10 | 43 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ben Niemann | 17 | 25 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 |
| Trevor Nowaske | 14 | 23 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Reeves-Maybin | 10 | 14 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ezekiel Turner | 9 | 12 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Al-Quadin Muhammad | 9 | 11 | 4 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Barnes | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Houston | 8 | 8 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| David Long | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kwon Alexander | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamal Adams | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mitchell Agude | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Anthony Pittman | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 |
The bad: Starting Week 3 with the loss of starting SAM linebacker Derrick Barnes to a season-ending knee injury, no position other than maybe edge rusher had to deal with as many injuries and shuffling than at linebacker. The Lions had 15 different linebackers play in a game and record a tackle this season.
Barnes was set to play a big role in Detroit's defense until a low block against the Cardinals ended those plans.
Anzalone broke his forearm Week 10 and would miss the next six games. Second-year player Malcolm Rodriguez tore his ACL Week 11 and veteran Jalen Reeves-Maybin missed six games in the middle of the season due to injury. A number of players stepped up to help the Lions win 15 games, but it's hard not to wonder how much better this defense could have been, especially in the playoff loss to Washington, if they had their versatile and complete linebacker group.
Detroit's defense was one of the worst in the NFL this season generating negative plays. The Lions forced just 29 rushes for negative yards. Only the Chargers (28) and Cowboys (24) generated fewer. For comparison, the Browns led the NFL in that department with 68.
Key stat: Campbell has had one of the best starts to his career for a linebacker in franchise history. He is just the third Lions linebacker to reach 200 tackles in two career seasons, joining Ernie Sims and Chris Spielman.
Free agents: Derrick Barnes, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Ben Niemann, Ezekiel Turner, Anthony Pittman (restricted), Mitchell Agude (exclusive rights), Trevor Nowaske (exclusive rights)
It's a pretty big list headlined by Barnes. The former fourth-round pick was set to have a big season after recording 81 tackles and five tackles for loss in 2023. Barnes can play in space and add something in the pass-rush department, and that was his real value playing in the SAM spot.
Muhammad said after the season he'd like to return to Detroit. His 3.0 sacks and five quarterback hits in just 255 snaps was important down the stretch.
Nowaske is a nice young player who did a little bit of everything with 23 tackles, 2.0 sacks and an interception. He's also terrific on special teams.
View photos of the Detroit Lions linebackers from the 2024 NFL season.
Detroit Lions linebacker Mitchell Agude (50) during an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 5, 2025 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone (34) during an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 5, 2025 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone (34) during an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 17, 2024 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone (34) during an NFL football game against the Houston Texans on Nov. 10, 2024 in Houston. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone (34) during an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 13, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone (34) sacks quarterback during an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 27, 2024 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes (55) during an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 8, 2024 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes (55) during an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 22, 2024 in Glendale, Ariz. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell (46) during an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 5, 2025 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell (46) during an NFL football game against the Houston Texans on Nov. 10, 2024 in Houston. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell (46) during an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 8, 2024 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell (46) during an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 5, 2024 in Detroit. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell (46) during an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 17, 2024 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Al-Quadin Muhammad (69) during an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 5, 2025 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Al-Quadin Muhammad (69) during an NFC Divisional Round playoff football game against the Washington Commanders on January 18, 2025 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Al-Quadin Muhammad (69) sacks Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) during an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears on Dec. 22, 2024 in Chicago. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Ben Niemann (51) during an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 15, 2024 in Detroit. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Ben Niemann (51) during an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 17, 2024 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Ben Niemann (51) during an NFL football game against the Houston Texans on Nov. 10, 2024 in Houston. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Trevor Nowaske (53) during an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 24, 2024 in Indianapolis. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Trevor Nowaske (53) during an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 30, 2024 in Santa Clara. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Trevor Nowaske (53) during an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 27, 2024 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Anthony Pittman (41) during an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 30, 2024 in Santa Clara. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin (42) during an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 30, 2024 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin (42) during an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 27, 2024 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (44) during an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 20, 2024 in Minneapolis. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (44) during an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 24, 2024 in Indianapolis. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (44) during an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 17, 2024 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Ezekiel Turner (47) during an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears on Dec. 22, 2024 in Chicago. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions linebacker Ezekiel Turner (47) during an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 30, 2024 in Santa Clara. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions via AP)
Draft: Depending on what the Lions do in free agency with players like Barnes and Muhammad, the SAM linebacker spot could be a position of need. This draft has a number of interesting hybrid players who look to be able play in space but also add something as pass rushers that might be intriguing if the Lions are looking to add young players on defense.
Players with athleticism, pass-rush prowess and the ability to play in space include Jalon Walker (6-2, 245), Jihaad Campbell (6-3, 244), Mike Green (6-4, 251), Donovan Ezeiruaku (6-2, 247) and Josaiah Stewart (6-1, 245) to name some.
Quotable: "Yeah, I just think that we just stay the course and just keep building like we've been. I do think that we're very close," Lions general manager Brad Holmes said after the season.
"Obviously, I thought that we were very close this year, but nothing is going to alter what our approach has been in terms of trying to continue to improve and keep building. Obviously, I do think that we are very close, obviously felt really good about this season, but fell short. We're going to stay committed to the process."
