Kwon Alexander Ready to 'Go to War' for Dan Campbell, Aaron Glenn

Alexander eager to contribute for former Saints coaches.

New Detroit Lions linebacker Kwon Alexander (54). / Philip G. Pavely-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions added a plethora of experience to their linebackers room in the form of Kwon Alexander.

A 10-year NFL veteran who has played for six teams prior to Detroit, Alexander has seen plenty during his time in the NFL. He also has experience working with both Lions head coach Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, as their time in New Orleans overlapped in 2020.

Speaking publicly for the first time as a Lion, Alexander shared his high regard for the pair of coaches. In his new uniform, the veteran is eager to suit up and get into action for his new leaders.

“Lot of energy. Respect those guys a lot. Happy how they’re doing up here, proud of them. So, I’m ready to go to war for them," Alexander said. "We’ve been through a lot in New Orleans, so I came up here to go out there and go off for them.” 

While Campbell and Glenn were position coaches in New Orleans, working with the tight ends and safeties, respectively, Alexander was able to gain an appreciation for both coaches. In particular, he was able to grasp the methods that have since made Glenn one of the NFL's most highly coveted head coaching candidates.

“He’s just a legendary coach. Holds people accountable," Alexander said. "He just makes sure everybody’s in the right spot in the right time. I’m just ready to go to war for him.”

Alexander's presence for the Lions' defense is a necessity, as the linebacking corps has dealt with a myriad of injuries over the course of the season. Derrick Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez are out for the season, while Alex Anzalone is dealing with a broken forearm suffered against Jacksonville in Week 11.

As a result, the veteran will be tasked with contributing alongside the likes of Jack Campbell, Trevor Nowaske, Ben Niemann, David Long and Ezekiel Turner. He's not putting too much pressure on himself, however, as he hopes to be effective the same way he has at previous stops in his career.

“Just me being me," Alexander said. "Just going out there, having fun, just having a lot of energy. Been in the league 10 years, a lot of knowledge. Just trying to get the ball a majority of the time, so it’s gonna be big for us.” 

Alexander was one of three players the Lions poached off of practice squads on Friday, along with defensive linemen Jonah Williams and Myles Adams. All three players are on Detroit's active roster, and will be tasked with getting up to speed quickly.

Jamal Adams, a former All-Pro who could help at either the safety or linebacker positions, was also added to the practice squad with the potential of being elevated to the active roster at some point.

MORE: How Lions Plan to Handle Defensive Injuries

Because Alexander is familiar with the scheme deployed while Glenn was in New Orleans, Detroit is hoping he will assimilate quickly to the team's defensive terminology.

“I think a couple things. One, terminology. How fast can they get this? Two, whenever that is, knowing that they can just line up and play fast," Campbell said. "You take the thinking off the table, the, ‘What if we get this, this and this?’ How can we make it so to where these guys are gonna know exactly where to go, where to get lined up and they can just cut it loose? And, I think that’s step number one."

While knowing the terms associated with defensive actions will be important, the Lions are also counting on their new additions to utilize their instincts in order to succeed.

"The other part, we don’t entirely know, we have an idea of what these guys can do, but yet, we don’t because they just got here, just walked in the building," Campbell said. "So, you’re kind of trying to work through that within a couple days, too, ‘Where can we use them?’ So, I think you use the best judgement you can of what you know of the players, what you’ve seen most recently, where we’re at, where we could use some help, and you let them go play. You let them play fast. And, that’s what we’re gonna do. The plan is, it’s gonna be a good plan. A.G.’s got it locked in, and I think these guys will go cut it loose.”