Detroit Lions at the halfway mark: Positional report cards

Linebackers

In today’s NFL, there’s only a handful of inside linebackers that consistently make game-breaking plays. Additionally, only the best players at that position are kept on the field in sub-packages featuring extra defensive backs to combat the league’s many dangerous passing attacks. The Lions don’t have one of those players on their team, despite heavy reshaping of the second level of their defense during Quinn’s tenure.

The Lions’ below-average group of linebackers shares the blame for their moribund run defense, compounding their inability to make important defensive plays. Jarrad Davis, the most notable member of the unit, has struggled after missing the first two games with an ankle injury.

Teams target him relentlessly in the passing game, and he has been unable to make any strides in his coverage abilities midway through his third season. It’s hard to see him doing that at this point.

Davis is useful as a spot blitzer, but the Lions have sent extra rushers so rarely this year that this trait often goes untapped. His run defense has also been poor, essentially making him a liability on the field at times. He has time this season to turn his Lions career around, but one must accept that it may never come together for him in Detroit. For now, he looks like a whiff of a first-round pick.

Jahlani Tavai has also had little impact in his first season, though one tends to grant rookies more leeway. Still, it’s hard to pick out many notable plays from his first four games aside from a goal-line forced fumble in Week 2. It will be interesting to see if the Lions move him around the rest of the season in hopes of finding his most effective spot.

Devon Kennard continues to be the best performer of the group, though he has trouble stringing together games with consistent pressure and sacks. He began the season with 3.0 takedowns in his first game but has none since. He’s a good player, just not good enough to lift this group out of their average standing.

Christian Jones has been quietly solid in his second season with the Lions, which may explain his recent 2-year contract extension. Still, he too is often exposed through the air and doesn’t make enough impact plays. Getting repetitive? You get the point.

Grade: C