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The Lions' linebacker room is very tough to evaluate coming off last season.
This group is so tough to evaluate because of the plethora of injuries they faced throughout the season. Derrick Barnes was the first Lion to miss time after tearing his MCL and PCL in Week 3 and missing the rest of the season.
Alex Anzalone missed plenty of time as well, breaking his arm in Week 11, but returned at the end of the season for the Lions' short playoff push. Finally, depth LB Malcolm Rodriguez tore his ACL on Thanksgiving and missed the rest of the season.
That leaves just one guy, Jack Campbell, a second-year linebacker out of Iowa. Campbell was picked in the first round by the Lions in 2023 and had his breakout year in 2024 as the only Week 1 starter to play the whole season in the linebacker room.
Campbell lands in the top 10, while other Lions linebacker misses the list
Linebacker is a very tough position to play as a rookie in the NFL, and Campbell felt that, having a poor rookie season for Detroit. Although you expect a guy like Campbell to bounce back and improve in his second season, the jump he made while being the only healthy starter for Detroit was insane.
Mason Cameron of PFF ranked the top 32 linebackers in the NFL on Tuesday, and Jack Campbell landed at No. 8 on the list. Cameron did this list in tiers as well, and had Campbell in the third tier, joined by Bobby Okereke, Devin Lloyd, Edgerrin Cooper, T.J. Edwards, and Quincy Williams.
"Campbell took a massive step forward in his second season as a pro, with his 78.7 PFF overall grade ranking fourth in the NFL among linebackers with at least 600 snaps," said Cameron. "Another step forward in 2025 will put him in the top-five conversation."
READ MORE: Despite injury, Aidan Hutchinson finds himself inside PFF's top five edge rushers
Of course, this is extremely high praise for a linebacker who has just two seasons under his belt. Campbell finds himself as the youngest linebacker in the top eight of this ranking. Despite a lackluster rookie season, Campbell was a solid run defender, but in 2024, he put it all together.
"While he’s always been a plus run defender, it was his massive leap in coverage that earned him his placement on this list," Cameron explained. "The 2023 first-rounder's 74.2 PFF coverage grade placed him in the top six — a nearly 40-point jump on the grading scale over his 35.3 mark as a rookie."
While it is no surprise that Campbell found his way onto this list after last season, it is shocking not to see Alex Anzalone's name anywhere on this list. Although he missed a lot of time last season, he has been the heart of this Lions defense for years and is easily a top 32 linebacker in the NFL.
According to Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit, the Lions had the second-best defensive DVOA in football during Weeks 1-11 when Anzalone was healthy, and dropped to second-to-last in defensive DVOA in Weeks 12-17 when Anzalone was out.
Well let me tell you:
— Jeremy Reisman (@DetroitOnLion) January 7, 2025
LIONS DEFENSE DVOA
Weeks 1-11 (w/Anzalone) -219.2% (2nd in NFL)
Weeks 12-17 (no Anzalone:
- +96.5% (31st)
Week 18
- -48.6% (2nd) https://t.co/6CJqk9MRs5
While his overall PFF grade may not be fantastic, Anzalone has a 73.7 coverage grade, good for 17th/189 linebackers in football. His time off and his run defense grade may have kept him off this list, but looking at how important he is to the Lions' defense alone should get him on this list.
Regardless, I believe a full season of Campbell and Anzalone is going to prove to be otherworldly for the Lions. This is the best defensive roster the Lions have had in the Dan Campbell era, and the only thing that can stop them is injuries, yet again.
More Lions news and analysis
More must-reads:
- Brian Schottenheimer vows to put 'elephant in his garage' if Cowboys beat Cardinals
- Bengals' Joe Flacco gives promising injury update ahead of Bears game
- The 'NFL passer rating leaders' quiz
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Dolphins quickly become NFL's most hopeless situation
There are a lot of teams in the NFL that are already out of the playoff race this season and facing long roads back to contention. There might not be a single franchise that is facing a grimmer, bleaker situation than the Miami Dolphins. The franchise has not won a playoff game in 26 years, the longest ongoing drought in the NFL, and it is going to continue this season. They have mostly been mediocre in recent years only qualified for the playoffs just four times in the past 23 years. They have had no recent success, are having no current success, and do not seem likely to have success anytime soon in the future. Whatever momentum and shine they may have had from last week's big win over the Atlanta Falcons was completely erased on Thursday night in an embarrassing performance against the Baltimore Ravens in a 28-6 defeat. There were zero positives to take away from it, and it is hard to see where a quick fix comes from. The Ravens beat the Dolphins, and the Dolphins beat themselves Coming out of halftime on Thursday night, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said they were playing against two teams in the first half, referencing the fact they had several self-inflicted mistakes that helped cost them points, stall drives and give points to Baltimore. They had long drives on offense get bogged down by penalties, forcing them to settle for field goal attempts. They fumbled deep in their own territory to set the Ravens up for their first touchdown of the game, and then turned the ball over two other times later in the game. That is a losing recipe against almost any team in football, and especially against a team that is quarterbacked by Lamar Jackson. But that's only part of the problem for Miami, and it's largely only related to this game. The big picture problem is far more concerning. Tua Tagovailoa is not the answer Tagovailoa is far from the only problem in Miami right now. It's just not a good roster overall. But he also does not seem to be part of the solution, especially with a $53M salary cap number. The Dolphins are paying him like one of the NFL's elite quarterbacks — and one of its elite players — and they are not getting anything close to that level of play. He threw his league-leading 11th interception of the season on Thursday, and just looked like a quarterback that had no answers for anything. He lacks elite arm strength, and everything regarding the Dolphins offense is built around timing, their ability for the first read of their offense to get open, and his ability to hit it. When things do not work perfectly, the offense has zero chance to function. It has not worked. Tagovailoa's regression as a quarterback, combined with a gigantic contract that might quickly becoming one of the NFL's biggest albatross deals, is a big reason why this situation feels so grim. It is one thing to not have a quarterback. It is another thing entirely to invest in the wrong quarterback and be stuck with them and have almost no way out from it. Eventually head coach Mike McDaniel and probably general manager Chris Grier are going to be dismissed, and it will not be unfair given the roster and team they have built. Whoever comes in to replace them is going to have a mostly bare cupboard to restock with one of the NFL's worst contracts at its most important position. At least if you are the New York Jets or New Orleans Saints you can start over this offseason with a new quarterback. It seems almost impossible for the Dolphins to do that.
Three teams that should pursue a trade for Titans WR Calvin Ridley
As the Tennessee Titans are free falling towards another season as one of the NFL's worst teams, they will likely sell off some of their higher priced players before the NFL's Nov. 4 trade deadline. Wide receiver Calvin Ridley tops the list of available players on the trade block even as he deals with a hamstring injury. Ridley's big play ability makes him an attractive option for teams looking to add another wide receiver. Even though he's been experiencing an up and down season so far - Ridley has only 16 receptions for 290 yards, he surpassed 1,000 yards in each of the past two seasons following sitting out 2022 due to being suspended for betting. So assuming Ridley is healthy enough to remain a trade target, here are the teams that should take a chance on the controversial wide out. Pittsburgh Steelers Aaron Rodgers may have stabilized the Steelers' quarterback position, but that doesn't mean the offense is as consistent as it needs to be for Pittsburgh to truly contend in the AFC. Pittsburgh has only exceeded 30 points twice through seven games. Desperate to increase their offensive output, especially with the defense struggling, the Steelers could use more receiver depth behind DK Metcalf. Acquiring Ridley would provide Rodgers another weapon and make the decision to place double coverage on Metcalf more of a risk for opponents. If Ridley can get back to form, he would unlock an extra dimension for a Steelers team that still holds a comfortable lead in the AFC North. New England Patriots One of the surprising results of the season so far, the Patriots are 6-2 and in first place in the AFC East. But if New England truly hopes to make a playoff push, second-year quarterback Drake Maye may need more at his disposal. To this point, Maye has been forced to work without a true deep threat. And while he's been able to methodically move the ball, Ridley would make his life much easier and stretch the field even more. Seattle Seahawks Another first place team who could use another playmaker, the Seattle Seahawks' offense has started to show signs of weakness in recent weeks. Much like the Steelers, the Seahawks have a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for October. He's been brilliant with three-straight 100 plus-yard games. However, Seattle has only scored 30 points once in its last four games. Pairing Smith-Njigba with Ridley would make the Seahawks more potent as they approach a stretch of the schedule with pivotal divisional matchups coming up.
Nationals set to hire MLB's youngest manager in over 50 years
The Washington Nationals were one of a handful of teams heading into the offseason needing a new manager. The Nats fired former manager Dave Martinez, who helped lead them to their first World Series title in 2019, ahead of the All-Star break. They then had to decide if they wanted to keep interim manager Miguel Cairo or head in another direction. The Nationals decided to go in a different direction, announcing on Thursday that they are set to hire the youngest MLB manager in over 50 years. Nationals will hire Blake Butera to be their next manager After going 29-43 after taking over for Martinez, the Nationals decided that Cairo wasn't the man to lead them forward. Washington is hiring 33-year-old Blake Butera to be its next manager, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Butera will be a new voice to pair with the new president of baseball operations, Paul Toboni, who took over for former executive Mike Rizzo. According to Passan, Butera will be the youngest manager in more than 50 years. Butera joins Oliver Marmol (39) of the St. Louis Cardinals as the only managers in baseball under 40 years old. In his four-year career as a minor league manager in the Tampa Bay Rays organization, Butera accumulated a 258-144 record. That should bode well for him going to Washington, especially after six straight losing seasons. A former 35th-round draft pick of the Rays, Butera is also a former two-time minor league Manager of the Year in the Rays organization and was the bench coach for Team Italy in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Nationals need to give Blake Butera everything he needs to be successful Being so young and "inexperienced," Toboni and the Nationals organization will need to surround Butera with a veteran coaching staff. In particular, an experienced bench coach to help guide him through being a big league manager. Someone like former Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington would be a good hire to help guide Butera, given his managerial experience and longtime coaching. Coming from the Rays organization, Butera can bring over things he's learned there to help the Nationals improve as an organization. The Rays are consistently at the forefront of analytics and new, innovative ways to build a successful baseball team. Having a young roster and only two players with a decade in the big leagues (Josh Bell and Trevor Williams), Butera should find it easy to connect with some of his younger players, given his age. However, veterans may find it hard to listen to someone as inexperienced as Butera, which he’ll need to work on if the Nationals add any more to help mentor their young core.
Victor Wembanyama leads Spurs to best start in franchise history
Victor Wembanyama has already led the San Antonio Spurs to a level the franchise never even reached during its championship past. The Spurs have five NBA titles, but they've never experienced such a hot start before. With their 107-101 win over the Miami Heat on Thursday night, the Spurs are 5-0, marking the very first time this franchise has opened a season 5-0. It didn't happen when David Robinson was leading the Spurs through the 1990s. It didn't even happen when Tim Duncan was guiding San Antonio to a dynastic-type run through the early-to-mid-2000s. No team coached by the legendary Gregg Popovich was able to pull it off. Only the Thunder have a better record But the 2025-26 Spurs have done it, joining the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, who picked up win No. 6 on the same night, as the only undefeated teams to have at least five wins. Ever since the Spurs tipped off the season by blowing out the in-state rival Dallas Mavericks, they have earned wins against New Orleans Pelicans, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors and the Heat. Victor Wembanyama is building a case as the game's most dominant Wembanyama has been the driving force of the Spurs' early-season success. Now in his third season, the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama has recorded a double-double in every single game so far. He scored 27 points while bringing down 18 rebounds and adding six assists in Wednesday's win. But to truly show his dominance, Wembanyama, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, entered the night averaging 31 points and 13.8 boards per game. Victor Wembanyama isn't doing it alone But just like Robinson and Duncan didn't do it alone, Wembanyama has a core around him that may allow the Spurs to embark on another reign of terror. Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell and Dylan Harper are also off to great starts to the year. Castle is San Antonio's second leading scorer, averaging 18.3 points and 6.0 assists per game. Vassell is averaging 16.8, while Harper made some recent history of his own. All in all, Wembanyama and the Spurs are showing no signs of slowing down and look like a legitimate Western Conference contender.
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