Exit Interviews: After keeping seven and playing 10, what does future hold for Detroit's linebacking corps?
To wrap up the Detroit Lions' 2024 season, we're evaluating the roster position by position. Today, we're focusing on the play of the team's linebackers.
The straightforward stats
Jack Campbell: 17 games, 131 tackles, 1.5 sacks, five pass defenses, one forced fumble
Alex Anzalone: 10 games, 63 tackles, 1.0 sack, five pass defenses
Trevor Nowaske: 14 games, 23 tackles, 2.0 sacks, one interception
Ben Niemann: 17 games, 25 tackles, one pass defense, one fumble recovery
Malcolm Rodriguez: 10 games, 43 tackles, 2.0 sacks, one pass defense
Jalen Reeves-Maybin: 10 games, 14 tackles, one forced fumble
Derrick Barnes: Three games, 10 tackles, one pass defense
Ezekiel Turner: Nine games, 12 games, 0.5 sacks
Advanced metrics
Many thought the Lions overdid it by keeping seven linebackers to start the season, but 10 ended up seeing the field for the team in 2024, including eight who banked more than 100 snaps. That's less than ideal.
Campbell was the constant, starting all 17 contests and playing 100% of the snaps in eight of the final nine games. His tackle numbers predictably jumped in his second season. It was equally encouraging how his whiff rate declined from 8.7% to 7.4%.
The Lions attempted to deploy Campbell more as a blitzer in 2024, but he wasn't particularly effective. On 124 rush attempts, he logged just 13 pressures. Compare that to Anzalone, who had 10 pressures with half the rush attempts.
PFF kindly graded Campbell in coverage, ranking him sixth among off-ball linebackers. The eye test and coverage stats don't necessarily back up that generous evaluation. Still, the numbers aren't as poor as they appear, given linebackers often surrender a lot of check-down throws. Campbell allowed 40 receptions the 51 times he was targeted in coverage for 423 yards, including 210 after the catch.
Nevertheless, 27 linebackers gave up more receiving yards in 2024, including Roquan Smith and Zaire Franklin, a pair of Pro Bowlers in the AFC. Fred Warner, another Pro Bowler, gave up one yard fewer than Campbell.