![\"Lions](\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/9qBkYfIZ2VoLnPS4nod30bi0KBw=\/0x124:3720x1984\/fit-in\/1200x600\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/25788230\/2187098550.jpg\")
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Over the past month, the Detroit Lions defense has a ton of new faces. The team\u2019s pro personnel department has been working overtime to ensure the Lions can weather the injury storm on defense, and they\u2019ve done an amazing job. Despite losing nearly half of their starters to injury\u2014and a handful of depth players, too\u2014the Lions remain on an 11-game winning streak and their defense is playing admirably.<\/p>\n
But let\u2019s look beyond this year. Guys like Al-Quadin Muhammad, Pat O\u2019Connor, and Ezekiel Turner have played well as replacements. Have any of them played well enough to warrant consideration for a long-term spot with the Lions? That\u2019s one of the questions myself and Erik Schlitt tackle on this week\u2019s Midweek Mailbag podcast. Here\u2019s a tidbit of that conversation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one who stands out the most has been Muhammad,\u201d Schlitt said. \u201cMuhammad has been sensational. He really has. He\u2019s really found his groove. He\u2019s been with the team almost two months now, and he\u2019s found his rhythm, he\u2019s found his role, he fits the scheme really well, and he\u2019s playing at a high level. Even when you bring back (Josh) Paschal and (Levi) Onwuzurike), Muhammad still sticks, I think, as EDGE four and plays an important part in the rotation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTurner was going to be my answer,\u201d I responded. \u201cIt\u2019s the special teams ability. If he goes into 2025 as the Lions\u2019 linebacker six or seven, there\u2019s still a role for him. The Lions have showed that in the past. But, obviously, there\u2019s going to be a lot of competition there. We\u2019ll see what they do with Derrick Barnes\u2014he\u2019s going to be a free agent\u2014and I believe Jalen Reeves-Maybin is still under contract for one more year, so there\u2019s going to be heavy competition there, and I think he\u2019s done everything he possibly could to earn a contract next year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, it certainly helps your case when positional coach Kelvin Sheppard publicly vouches for you, like when he said this about Turner this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cI learned that he\u2019s not a special teams linebacker, and I want that said to the entire league,\u201d Sheppard said.<\/p>\n
That conversation starts around the 21:15 mark in this week\u2019s episode.<\/p>\n
Other topics on this week\u2019s show include:<\/p>\n
You can listen to the entire show in the Spotify player below. Or you can watch a replay of it on YouTube and Twitch<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Which of the Detroit Lions\u2019 mid-season additions on defense could stick with the team in 2025?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6358,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-detroit-lions"],"yoast_head":"\n