Former Cowboy Malcolm Rodriguez Suffers Season-Ending Torn ACL
A former fan favorite in Stillwater is having his season ended early.
On Friday, Ian Rapoport reported that Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez tore his ACL in the Detroit Lions’ win over the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving. Rodriguez has played in 10 games for the Lions this season, starting six.
Rodriguez had five tackles and defended one pass in Thursday’s contest before leaving with the injury. That performance was a continuation of his impressive performance this season.
Rodriguez is in his third NFL season after the Lions took him in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. While he took some time to get adjusted to the NFL game, the former wrestler has embodied everything about the Lions’ rise to a contender over the past few seasons.
The Lions have dealt with other injury issues throughout the season on defense, including star Aidan Hutchinson, whose season might be over as well. Still, the Lions are among the best in the NFL, with a 10-1 record and the top seed in the NFC.
While the Lions have proven they can perform fine without some of their key players, there is no doubt Rodriguez will be missed. This season, the former Cowboy has 43 tackles, two tackles for loss and two sacks. He has also recovered a fumble.
While Rodriguez’s impact won’t be felt in the playoffs this season, he was an important part of Detroit’s run last year, getting an interception in the NFC Championship.
Before making his mark on a Super Bowl contender, Rodriguez was a fan favorite at Oklahoma State for five seasons. He was an anchor of the Cowboys’ defense throughout Jim Knowles’ time as defensive coordinator and was a major contributor to OSU in its 2021 Fiesta Bowl season.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.