Expectations will be raised on defense for the Lions in 2023 given the unit’s struggles through much of last year and the team’s investments on that side of the ball this offseason. Those endeavors have set up a notable training camp competition at the linebacker spot.
The Lions have Alex Anzalone in place as an entrenched starter after he parlayed his highly-productive 2022 campaign into a three-year, $18.75M deal in March. A repeat of his career year would go a long way in helping Detroit make the needed improvements on defense to put the team in postseason contention. Who will be alongside him in the starting lineup remains unclear, however.
The Lions doubled down on their selections of non-premium positions in the first round of the draft by selecting Jack Campbell with the No. 18 pick. That decision made the Iowa product the top off-ball linebacker in the 2023 class, and led to the expectation he would be a plug-and-play starter. OTAs and minicamp demonstrated that the team’s veterans seemed to be in the lead, though, and Campbell still has a long road to a first-team position.
“Probably in 20 other rooms that player is starting and there’s nothing you can do about it as a position coach,” linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard said of Campbell, via Tim Twentyman of the team’s website. “Well, that’s not the case here. If Jack isn’t the top two or three Jack will continue to go through the process of rookie development until he’s hit that mark.”
Detroit also has 2021 fourth-round pick Derrick Barnes and 2022 sixth-rounder Malcolm Rodriguez as options for a starting role. The latter missed significant time during the spring, allowing the former to take first-team reps alongside Anzalone. Rodriguez proved himself to be productive as a rookie, though, totaling 87 tackles, one sack and a forced fumble despite logging only a 57% snap share. Increasing his workload this year could come as a result of a strong training camp, and doing so would consign Campbell to a special teams role to start the year.
After a standout college career, Campbell (like fellow first-rounder Jahmyr Gibbs) will need to perform at a high level to justify the Lions’ investment in him – and their avoidance of other, potentially more attractive options based on position – in the eyes of many evaluators. His pro tenure will no doubt involve a heavy workload at some point, but he finds himself behind Rodriguez and Barnes on the depth chart heading into his first training camp.
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