Last week against the Atlanta Falcons, the Detroit Lions deployed linebacker Jack Campbell in a brand new way. While the long-term plan is for Campbell to obviously hold down the MIKE linebacker spot and be a key hub to the entire defense, right now Detroit is getting such good play from Derrick Barnes that the Lions coaching staff is having to find creative ways to get Campbell involved.
While he has gotten a healthy 20+ defensive snaps in each game, Sunday was his biggest impact—and it came at a new position: edge defender. Of Campbell’s 38 defensive snaps, 26 of them came with him lined up as an on-ball edge defender—a role he wasn’t all too familiar with coming into the NFL.