DETROIT — Another big win. Another big loss for the Detroit Lions defense.
Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez suffered an ankle injury while covering a first-quarter kick in the 52-14 win on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. Rodriguez was able to make it to the sideline on his own, but was evaluated for several minutes by medical staff before getting carted to the locker room.
He was quickly ruled out of the game, which is never a good sign, but head coach Dan Campbell was optimistic the former “Hard Knocks” star — who happens to be playing some really good football — will suit up again this season.
“We’ll know more tomorrow,” Campbell said. “Obviously he didn’t finish the game, so that’s not good. I don’t think it’ll be something that will take the rest of the season, it’s nothing like that.”
The Rodriguez injury further complicates the picture on defense, where the Lions have also lost front-seven stalwarts like Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, John Cominsky, Derrick Barnes and Kyle Peko to long-term injuries. That has forced the Lions to reach deep onto the bench, particularly on the edge, where they turned to the recently signed Al-Quadin Muhammad and Isaiah Thomas against Tennessee.
Now depth is growing thinner at linebacker too, where Barnes is a long shot to play again this season. That forced Rodriguez back into a defensive role, and he’s filled in capably too, making 26 tackles, sacking two quarterbacks and recovering one fumble. Now he’s out too, forcing the Lions to rely even more on Trevor Nowaske and Jalen Reeves-Maybin against the Titans.
