Exit Interview: Durable and highly productive, Detroit's LBs were a strength in 2025, but winds of change are blowing
Wrapping up the Detroit Lions’ 2025 season, we’re doing our annual position-by-position evaluation of the roster. Today, we’ll focus on the play of the team’s off-ball linebackers.
The straightforward stats
Jack Campbell: 17 games, 1,097 snaps, 176 tackles (nine for a loss), 5.0 sacks, four passes defended, three forced fumbles
Derrick Barnes: 17 games, 940 snaps, 78 tackles (six for a loss), 4.0 sacks, three passes defended, one interception
Alex Anzalone: 16 games, 1,004 snaps, 95 tackles (four for a loss), 2.5 sacks, nine passes defended, one interception
Others: 173 snaps, 60 tackles (five for a loss), 1.0 sack
Advanced metrics
Unlike last year, when the injury bug took big bites out of two of the team’s starters, Detroit experienced relatively good healthy throughout the corps in 2025, sans a concussion sidelining Anzalone for the season finale. Backup Zach Cunningham, who saw some early work in goal-line packages, also missed most of the season with hamstring issues.
Leaning into the roster strength, only the Raiders played base defense (three linebackers, four defensive backs) more than the Lions. In return, the team got stellar tackle and sack production from the group, paired with relatively low whiff rates among the starters, ranging from 6.9% to 9.5%, according to Pro Football Focus. For context, Pittsburgh’s Patrick Queen had the worst missed tackle rate in the league among qualified linebackers, failing to wrap up the ball carrier 21.2% of the time.