On Monday, while addressing the team’s defensive woes, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell intimated that they plan on making some changes to their lineup.
“We’re going to do a couple of things defensively. We’re going to move some guys around,” Campbell said. “We’re going to give some guys some more opportunities to play here and shake it up a little bit. And because they’ve earned that, we’ve got some guys in here that have earned some play time that they deserve a chance to do more for us.”
Now, we can speculate all we want on the Lions adding players—be it a practice squad poaching from another squad, the addition of someone like nickelback Kenny Moore, or whatever trade you’re still dreaming of—but for the purposes of this article, I’m going to keep the discussion on internal personnel decisions.
Today’s Question of the Day is:
What internal personnel changes should the Lions make?
My answer: I’ve got a few ideas, one for each level of the defense.
On the defensive line, I don’t have too many complaints. I do just think the players need to play more disciplined, very much including Aidan Hutchinson. I understand that people want more Derrick Moore, but he also has to earn those snaps, and he’s still very much learning and growing. That said, DJ Wonnum is off to a slower start than expected, so maybe this is the time to get Moore ramped up.
At the linebacker level, I’d like to see more Malcolm Rodriguez and less Devin White. While I like the explosiveness and pass rush that White brings, the biggest thing that is currently ailing this defense is mental mistakes. White is not only still learning the defense, but his aggressive playstyle often leads to overpursuit and misdiagnosis. Rodriguez, on the other hand, plays assignment-sound football and is good with his fundamentals. PFF grades aren’t everything, but they’re telling in this moment:
- Rodriguez (on 35 snaps): 82.2 PFF grade
- White (on 51 snaps): 44.4 PFF grade
On the back end, a conversation needs to be had about Rock Ya-Sin. He’s struggled mightily through two weeks. The problem is there is no clear answer among Detroit’s depth chart. Do you kick Roger McCreary to the outside, and if you do, are you prepared to start rookie Keith Abney at nickel? Do you elevate Nick Whiteside from the practice squad and push him into the starting lineup? Is it time to see what Ennis Rakestraw can do? I’m not particularly hopeful in any of those plans, but Ya-Sin’s play certainly hasn’t been acceptable.
Then, when it comes to the safety position, figuring out how to replace Avonte Maddox—who is out for the season with a foot injury—won’t be easy. Maybe it’s just as simple as moving Thomas Harper into a starting position, but the 25-year-old is still pretty green. Detroit could drop Christian Izien back to safety, but it’s hard to know how ready he’d be for a full-time role after playing in just 26 snaps through two weeks.
What players on the Lions would you like to see get more playing time? Less playing time? Share your answers in the comment section below:
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