Why Jack Campbell Did Not Play More Against Rams

Campbell played smaller than expected role in season opener against Rams.

Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell. / Camren Clouthier, @Lions On SI

Detroit Lions second-year linebacker Jack Campbell is expected to continue growing into a bigger role within the defense in 2024.

Campbell had an up-and-down first campaign with the Lions after being drafted 18th overall last year. He at times looked overmatched, but flashed plenty of potential. After a strong offseason by all accounts, Campbell entered the regular season opener primed for a breakout.

The Iowa product played 56 percent of the defensive snaps against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1, as Detroit rotated several linebackers into the game. While a higher workload would be expected, the Lions have several players at the position they feel confident in that can log reps.

Among those is Derrick Barnes, who played a higher percentage of snaps than Campbell. However, Barnes lined up in multiple different areas and utilized his versatility as the team's SAM linebacker.

"We have different packages for different players and all those guys deserve to play," Glenn said. "I think I've said this since I've been here, when you're a good player we're gonna find a way to put you on the field. All those guys deserve it, so we have different packages for different players. The thing is, Barnes is just in a lot of different positions, so we're gonna get them all out there."

Campbell finished the season opener with a 57.8 overall Pro Football Focus defensive grade, notching seven total tackles and one tackle for loss. His linebacker counterpart Alex Anzalone finished with a game-high 13 tackles, with three for loss.

"Jack did a pretty good job. Jack was solid, he was solid," Glenn explained. "Listen, all the guys can improve. I think you probably didn't hear his name as much as you probably wanted to. The thing is, we try to force the ball to Alex (Anzalone) a lot, that's why Alex had all the tackles."

Defensive improvements

The Lions were able to knock off the Rams in overtime despite some struggles on both sides of the ball.

Detroit's defense was able to get after quarterback Matthew Stafford, though the Rams' game plan called for plenty of quick passes that limited the impact the defensive line was ultimately able to have.

Identifying issues that need to be cleaned up from the opener, Glenn pinpointed struggles in tackling and missed opportunities to take the ball away over the course of the game. According to PFF, the Lions missed eight tackles, which in turn led to big plays for the Rams' offense.

"We've got to tackle a lot better than we did. I understand it's the first game, but there's no excuses for that," Glenn stated. "Secondly, there were a lot of opportunities that we had to make some big plays. I'm talking about on the quarterback and on the ball, and we didn't execute those opportunities, so we need to do a better job of that."

To combat quarterbacks who have quick releases, Glenn explained that the defensive line must get their hands up quicker in an effort to alter the passing lanes. In the secondary, the coordinator implored that the defensive backs must play tighter coverage.