Detroit Lions' Week 10 Inactive List
After injuring his right elbow last week, Detroit Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez will not suit up against the Chicago Bears.
The Lions' offense will have an opportunity this week to face a Bears defense that traded away two key pieces.
Linebacker Roquan Smith and defensive end Robert Quinn are no longer on the Bears' roster, signaling to many the team is rebuilding.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus earned a significant amount of respect across the league for the work he did as the defensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts.
“Yeah, I’ve got a lot of respect for their coaching staff," Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said this week. "I think I was in Miami a few years ago when we played Indy, and I remember thinking that defense -- because it’s the same style defense that he was running in Indy, I was like, ‘Holy cow, they’re really well coached.’ You can tell just by playing them what they’re being taught to do, because all of the defensive players were doing it. So, I have a lot of respect for them as a coaching staff and what they do schematically and technique-wise."
The Bears are coming off of a 35-32 loss to the Dolphins at home last week.
Devoid of key players, the Bears' defense is susceptible to points being scored at a high clip.
"In terms of their personnel, you’re right, they did trade away a couple really good players, but they are young, they are hungry, they fly around," said Johnson. "So, it’s one of those games where it is a high-effort game. It’s the team that finishes through the whistle, will have success. We’re aware of that. They could make some mistakes. I think that’s showing up a little bit on tape, but they get better every week. So, even though they’ve given up some points and some yards, this will be a good challenge for us on the road. They do a great job mixing up their defenses, as well. There’s a number of different coverages, and when you look at it, ‘OK, it’s cover one, cover two, cover three.’ But, there’s a lot of variety, and it’s rarely the same call twice. So, got to stay on top of our game.”
Here is the updated list of the Lions' Week 10 inactives:
- LB Malcolm Rodriguez
- DL Michael Brockers
- DL Austin Bryant
- CB Chase Lucas
- S Ifeatu Melifonwu
- T Matt Nelson
- WR Josh Reynolds
