Tag: Anthony Pittman

Linebacker Anthony Pittman continues to earn praise from Lions coaches in training camp

Pittman keeps progressing from local longshot to Lions linebacker ready to take on a bigger role

Detroit Lions linebacker Anthony Pittman has been the subject of praise from coaches and teammates alike over the last week.

Pittman specifically credited his improvement over the years to him being able to go up against players such as Taylor Decker, Tyrell Crosby, and Frank Ragnow. He also mentioned how watching and defending against future Hall-of-Famer Adrian Peterson helped him improve as a linebacker last season.

Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn had some praise to give about Pittman on Tuesday morning.

“One guy that really stands out is Pittman. He’s making plays on the ball. He’s running to the ball. You see the physical nature of him. There’s a lot of things about that player that I like,” Glenn said after practice.

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The next day, head coach Dan Campbell decided to join in on hyping up the young linebacker.

“He shows up everyday, and every day he does something. He can run, he’s physical, he’s young. He’s one of those guys you get really fired up about, as a young guy, developing and growing… The potential is there and he’s working really hard at it,” Campbell added.

In his press conference, Campbell spoke about not knowing much about Pittman when he first arrived but hearing good things from coaches who had worked with him over the years. After speaking with the young linebacker about his role, both came to the conclusion that he should move back to his natural position on the inside.

Pittman played middle linebacker since his days at Wylie E. Groves High School in the Detroit suburb of Beverly Hills and continued to excel in that role at Wayne State. Once he arrived in Detroit, the coaching staff asked him to put on some weight and play the outside linebacker/pass rush position.

While he did not seem to struggle in a new position, Pittman, Campbell, and the new coaching staff all knew that he’d be a better player at middle linebacker, and that seemed to pay off.

The third-year player and Detroit-area native started the week strong with an interception on a pass from David Blough to Tom Kennedy. Throughout the week, he managed to almost snag two more. His hard work and determination has shown as the praise from his coaches continues to roll in.

Coming out of Wayne State as an undrafted free agent in 2019, it was an uphill battle for Pittman to even stick around the league. With an impressive preseason that year that had him see the field for a vast majority of defensive snaps, he earned a place on the practice squad.

Matt Patricia and his defensive staff raved about the young linebacker and their faith in him showed when he earned a call-up to the active roster for the Week 17 matchup against the Green Bay Packers. In that game, Pittman only took 17 defensive snaps but made the most of them by getting a hit on Aaron Rodgers and recording one tackle.

In his second season, he remained on the practice squad for the entirety of the year. Now year three, he’s reunited with one of his former high school coaches, DeOn’tae Pannell, and is back to playing his natural position at inside linebacker.

He is in competition with players such as Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Shaun Dion Hamilton, Jahlani Tavai, and Tavante Beckett for a reserve linebacker role this season. The practice squad could still be a potential landing spot for Pittman, but as the constant flow of praise keeps coming in from this coaching staff, it’s too early to count him out from making the 53-man roster this fall.

Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn: ‘I’m excited about the guys we have’ at off-ball LB

Glenn singled out Anthony Pittman and Shaun Dion Hamilton in his post-practice press conference

New Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has a lot of work to do in reforming one of the NFL’s worst defenses from a year ago. Glenn is working with a lot of players who just didn’t click in 2020 under Matt Patricia in his passive read-and-react scheme. Many Lions fans took great umbrage with the linebacking play, and it was largely deserved. But Glenn sees a lot of potential at the off-ball backer role through the first week of training camp.

When asked about the inside linebackers, Glenn did not hold back.

“I’ll tell you this, I’m excited about the guys we have,” Glenn said. He then talked up Anthony Pittman, who has consistently shown ability and speed in coverage throughout the summer.

“One guy that really stands out is Pittman. He’s making plays on the ball. He’s running to the ball. You see the physical nature of him. There’s a lot of things about that player that I like,” Glenn said.

Glenn then discussed the crowded field at off-ball linebacker, also mentioning Shaun Dion Hamilton for his strong play since joining the Lions this offseason.

“There’s a lot of competition at that spot,” Glenn continued. “A lot of times you find players, especially at that spot — (they) might not be household names, but you give those guys a shot, let them compete and we’ll see what shakes out.”

Pittman and Hamilton have been performing well in reps, but they’re both chasing after veteran Jamie Collins. Now wearing No. 8, Collins has been quite impressive in camp, too. Newcomer Alex Anzalone gets more of the first-team reps with Collins than anyone else. Holdover Jahlani Tavai is also in the mix and has remade his body in hopes of revitalizing his career, but he appears behind both Hamilton and Pittman based on both performance in camp and from Glenn’s words on Tuesday.

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Derrick Barnes injury allowing other Lions LBs to shine in his absence

With rookie Derrick Barnes sidelined with a hamstring injury, other Detroit Lion LBs are taking advantage of the extra playing time

With padded practices beginning, this will be the first look we get of full-speed contact from the new-look Detroit Lions. It will give us a sense of where some of these players are since the likes of two-hand touch football aren’t hindering them. There are quite a few areas people usually gravitate towards, either be the running game or the first taste of football for the rookies.

Unfortunately, we will have to wait and see how one of the rookies is progressing. Derrick Barnes has been dealing with a lingering hamstring issue that has caused him to be out from training camp so far. However, Coach Dan Campbell has assured everyone it’s not a major issue and precautious with the young rookie.

When the Lions traded up to draft Barnes in the fourth round in this year’s draft, they obviously saw something from the linebacker who could be a key defender for the defense. He is a versatile defender that could fit nicely as an off-ball linebacker and also offers an edge-rushing prowess.

With Barnes losing out on meaningful reps during practice, it may slow down his progress in getting used to the NFL speed. In turn, that may cause him to drop down the totem pole and lose on some meaningful playing time, especially if others step up during Barnes’ absence.

With Barnes out and Jalen Reeves-Maybin on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Shaun Dion Hamilton, Anthony Pittman and Tavante Beckett have been taking advantage of those extra practice reps. They might not have seen those reps if it weren’t for some injuries above them.

Hamilton was claimed off of waivers earlier in the year and has made noise in training camp so far with his play speed and coverage ability. If Hamilton continues on the trend he is currently on and shows off his strong coverage skills, he could find a way on the roster.

Pittman is walking into his third season with the team but has seen action in just one game. From the reports, he looks much quicker and plays in his more natural position at inside linebacker versus outside linebacker last year. In addition, he has shown improvement in his coverage abilities and looks to be playing much quicker. Tavante Beckett may be a long shot as an undrafted free agent this year, but he is getting a much more extended look that surely most people would’ve thought and could earn a practice squad spot because of it.

The Lions are top-heavy, with the linebacker depth chart with Jamie Collins and Alex Anzalone working the inside and Romeo Okwara and Trey Flowers manning the outside. Barnes may have ended up competing with Alex Anzalone for the inside spot if he had a strong camp, but now that might be looking like a pipe dream with how many valuable reps he has missed to get acclimated to the NFL and the defensive play-calling.

With Barnes viewed as one of the future building blocks for the defense, it would be unreasonable to rush him back on the field when he is not 100 percent. It will hinder him from coming into the season, losing out on those much-needed reps, and may see less playing time because of it heading into the season, but the Lions have a strong core on top to let Barnes heal up and adjust.

With the extended look from Hamilton, Pittman, and Beckett, they are taking advantage and showing the Lions what they have where they might not have been able to if not for Barnes being out. It is something to keep your eye on throughout training camp and see if they can find a role, especially if Barnes’ injury lingers.

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Detroit Lions sign 5 players to futures contracts

The Detroit Lions announced that they have signed five players from their 2020 practice squad to futures contracts.

The Detroit Lions announced that they have signed five players from their 2020 practice squad to 2021 futures contracts including wide receiver Tom Kennedy, wide receiver Victor Bolden, interior offensive lineman Evan Brown, linebacker Anthony Pittman, and safety Jalen Elliott.

Futures contracts are typically for the league minimum with no guarantees and they allow younger players to be offered an early spot on a team’s 90-man roster. As an incentive for teams to sign these players, the NFL does not count their salary towards the team’s salary cap until the league’s new year begins — in March when the unrestricted free agency period opens.

While the Lions have signed five players to futures deals, they are not necessarily finished adding players in this manner. The Lions can add as many futures contracts as they desire — as long as they don’t exceed the 90-man roster limit — and they have several players who were with the team in 2020 who qualify.

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With slot receivers Danny Amendola and Jamal Agnew’s contracts expired, the Lions didn’t have any slot receivers on their current roster. Kennedy, who has been with the Lions for the last two seasons, and Bolden give the Lions inexpensive depth options with upside at the position.

Brown was promoted from the Lions practice squad each of the last two weeks and found his way on the field due to injuries in both games. He has played in 11 games over his career and is a depth option that can play all three interior spots.

Pittman is a hybrid linebacker who has been with the organization the last two seasons. He is built like an off-the-ball linebacker but was used as a JACK linebacker when he saw the field in 2019. His athleticism and versatility should help him adapt to the new defensive scheme.

Elliott was an undrafted free agent last season and has some positional range at safety. He is not at the athletic level of the Lions’ other safeties, but he is intelligent and has a nose for the ball.

Detroit Lions activate Danny Shelton, sign Bobby Price, elevate 2 from practice squad

The Detroit Lions announced six roster moves ahead of their Week 17 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, including activating defensive tackle Danny Shelton from injured reserve and signing safety Bobby Price from the practice squad to the active roster. Other roster moves include elevating center Evan Brown and defensive tackle Albert Huggins for tomorrow’s game, activating practice squad linebacker Anthony Pittman from the Reserve/COVID-19 list, and releasing defensive lineman Frank Herron.

The Detroit Lions announced six roster moves ahead of their Week 17 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, including activating defensive tackle Danny Shelton from injured reserve and signing safety Bobby Price from the practice squad to the active roster.

Other roster moves include elevating center Evan Brown and defensive tackle Albert Huggins for tomorrow’s game, activating practice squad linebacker Anthony Pittman from the Reserve/COVID-19 list, and releasing defensive lineman Frank Herron.

Shelton was added to injured reserve with a knee injury in early December, and after three weeks he worked his way back to practices. He has been activated to the roster in hopes of playing against the Vikings on Sunday, but his knee could still keep him from the game, as he was added to this week’s injury report and listed as questionable.

With Shelton being a potential game-time decision, it explains the elevation of Huggins from the practice squad. With the Vikings’ strong running offense, the Lions appear to want to have at least one nose tackle other than John Penisini on the game-day roster.

Herron, who is more of a 3T/Big DE, was released in order to make room for Shelton.

Price will take the vacated roster spot of safety Jayron Kearse, who was released earlier in the week. In Week 17, he will mainly contribute on special teams, but Price is an athlete with upside and this move appears to be more about the future. In the grand scheme of roster development, Price will give the Lions four safeties under contract heading into the offseason.

Brown was called upon to replace Joe Dahl at center last week, contributing on 28 of the Lions’ 53 offensive snaps. This week, Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow is expected to be back in the lineup — he is listed as questionable — but Dahl remains out and the Lions will turn to Brown to back up the position once again.

One final note: Pittman, who was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list two weeks ago, has cleared the league protocols and will return back to the practice squad.

Detroit Lions make 3 practice squad moves, protect 4 in Week 16

Detroit Lions made a series of practice moves on Tuesday, adding C Jon Toth, releasing C Marcus Martin, placing LB Anthony Pittman on the COVID-19 list, and protecting four players in Week 16.

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Detroit Lions made a series of practice moves on Tuesday, adding center Jon Toth, releasing center Marcus Martin, placing linebacker Anthony Pittman on the COVID-19 list, and protecting four players in Week 16.

The Lions protected players include, center Evan Brown, defensive tackle Albert Huggins, corner Tramaine Brock, and safety Bobby Price.

With Frank Ragnow still dealing with a throat injury, the Lions turned to Joe Dahl to start at center last week, and elevated natural center Martin to act as a reserve. Unfortunately, Martin has exhausted his elevation eligibility in 2020, and the Lions released him to make room for Toth.

Toth (6-5, 310-pounds) played center at Kentucky, was undrafted in 2017, and joined the Eagles. After just over a year on Philadelphia’s practice squad, he joined the Jets practice squad in 2018. He also spent time in the XFL with the D.C. Defenders, before joining the Browns earlier this year.

Toth will compete with Brown (who is protected this week) for a potential elevation spot in week 16. Neither has been elevated this year.

Brock has also not used an elevation this year, but with corners Darryl Roberts and Mike Ford banged up (both were estimated to be limited on Tuesday) they may need him as an elevation option this week. Brock will be competing with fellow practice squader Alex Meyers — who was posterized by Derrick Henry last week.

Huggins was elevated once by the Lions in Week 12, while Price was a standard elevation in Week 13, and a COVID-19 replacement elevation in Week 14, meaning each has one standard elevation remaining as COVID-19 elevations don’t count against the standard numbers.

Pittman was placed on the COVID-19 list and per an NFL/NFLPA agreement, teams do not differentiate between if a player tested positive for COVID-19 or if he had a close contact exposure, so it’s unclear how long he will be out at this time.

However, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, “One Lions player and one non-player tested positive for COVID-19, per league source. The team facility is closed and players and coaches are meeting virtually, with contact tracing ongoing.”

So, if Pittman did indeed test positive, his season could potentially be over. But, if the report is wrong, and it is a close contact exposure — like Matthew Stafford, Jarrad Davis, and Jalen Elliott earlier this year — it’s possible he could return before the season’s conclusion.

Detroit Lions protect three practice squad players in Week 9, including two hybrid EDGE rushers

Detroit Lions protected three practice squad players in Week 9, including hybrid EDGE rushers Kareem Martin and linebacker Anthony Pittman. Cornerback/gunner Dee Virgin was also protected per usual.

Detroit Lions protected three practice squad players in Week 9, including hybrid EDGE rushers Kareem Martin and linebacker Anthony Pittman. Cornerback/gunner Dee Virgin was also protected per usual — he has been protected every week available this season.

The Lions have been very consistent with how they have utilized the protection designations for their practice squad players, only protecting five players over the whole season leading up to this week. In previous week’s the Lions have actually protected fewer players than the maximum allowance, as they have only focused on these specific players.

In addition to Virgin, the Lions protected quarterback David Blough and tight end Isaac Nauta every week available, until each was eventually elevated to the active roster. Running back Kerrith Whyte was protected each week available up until he landed on practice squad injured reserve in Week 5. While running back Jonathan Williams was protected in Week 1 — and will join the active roster later today.

So what changed in Week 9?

EDGE Trey Flowers was just placed on injured reserve. While Everson Griffen has completed his onboarding process and was added to the active roster Monday, the Lions likely felt they needed some extra insurance on the edge.

Martin is the player on the practice squad who is stylistically the closest to Flowers/Griffen, but Pittman has been with the team for the last 18 months and has seen time at JACK linebacker late last season.

By protecting both, the Lions will have the opportunity to see how Griffen acclimates this week in practice, while also allowing Martin and Pittman to compete for an emergency role. If coaches don’t feel Griffen is ready to fully contribute by Saturday, they can promote the winner of the emergency competition to the active roster for this week’s game.

Establishing the 53: breaking down the LB group

Examining the Detroit Lions linebackers and debating who and how many players they will keep on the 53-man roster.

It’s never too early to examine and speculate about the Detroit Lions roster. Currently, the Lions have 90-players on their roster, and come September, there will likely be some difficult decisions to make when determining their final 53-players.

Previously, in this series of articles at Lions Wire, we rounded out the running backs group, declared a winner in the fullback versus H-back competition, added an offensive weapon, narrowed down the offensive line, broke down the defensive line, and in this piece, look at the linebackers.

Setting the table

The Lions don’t use their linebackers like traditional 43 or 34 base players, instead opting to use traits from both schemes and asking their linebackers to be fluid in moving between positions.

In the Lions base defense, they deploy three linebackers on most downs. In the picture below, Jarrad Davis (40) is the MIKE, Christian Jones (52) is the WILL, and Devon Kennard (42) is the JACK.

The MIKE and WILL are off-the-ball players, with the JACK typically living at the line-of-scrimmage. While this is their base set, the Lions will lineup — and pass rush/cover — their linebackers in a variety of ways, as deception is part of the scheme.

For more detailed looks at how the linebackers are used in this scheme, please take a look at my film study: explaining how the Lions LB roles changed in 2019, and how adding Jamie Collins in free agency points to the linebacker positions being positionally fluid moving forward.

Natural JACK LBs

As mentioned in the Collins article, the adding of Collins and releasing of Kennard point to a shift in how the JACK linebacker spot is used. Instead of having a dedicated player at the position, the Lions appear to be leaning towards rotating off-the-ball linebackers and natural JACK linebackers here and in other roles.

In the last two drafts, the Lions have selected two JACK linebackers: Austin Bryant (in the fourth round in 2019) and Julian Okwara (third round in 2020) — both look like strong options for the final 53-man roster.

In addition to JACK, Bryant’s secondary position is as a down defensive end, while Okwara’s secondary position will likely be off-the-ball, with the goal of turning him into the next Jamie Collins. Both players were injured last season — Bryant with the Lions and Okwara at Notre Dame — and it points to them being rotational players in 2020 while they gain experience.

Erik’s take: With high developmental ceilings, both Okwara and Bryant should make the 53 with ease.

Who else can play JACK?

Anthony Pittman has also been a player primarily used at JACK, but at 225-pounds it’s hard to feel confident with him holding up there on a regular basis. He has also been cross-trained at the off-the-ball linebacker spots.

In college, both Jamie Collins and Christian Jones were pass-rushing linebackers and while they have transitioned to more off-the-ball roles in the NFL, they are also capable of rotating through the JACK position making them very valuable players in this scheme.

Jahlani Tavai and Reggie Ragland are also capable of rushing off the edge but they’re better suited as at the line-of-scrimmage run stuffers rather than pass rushers.

Jarrad Davis, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Miles Killebrew, Jason Cabinda, Christian Sam, and Elijah Lee are more traditional off-the-ball linebackers and are not considered players who can play at the JACK spot unless they expand their games.

Starter battle

With no dedicated JACK, I am anticipating the Lions to use three off-the-ball linebackers as their base starting unit, with plenty of rotation through all spots. There are four primary contenders for those spots.

Collins — who saw 80.7-percent of snaps in New England last year — was the Lions’ big-ticket free agent this offseason and should be considered a lock for a starting role. His contract backs that up, as it averages ($10 million) nearly triple any other Lions linebacker’s salary. For example, even Collins’ lower cap hit of $6.3 million in 2020 is a stone’s throw away from total cap hits of  Davis, Jones, and Tavai, which equals $7.4 million.

Last year Davis (57.3-percent of snaps) and Jones (53.3-percent) were the technical off-the-ball starters, but Tavai also saw starter levels snaps (52.2-percent). A similar rotation of these three in 2020 wouldn’t be overly surprising.

Erik’s take: Personally I think Tavai makes a leap in 2020 and earns a starting role, next to Collins and Davis, while Jones will come off the bench but still see a starters levels of snaps. 

Reserves LBs vs Special teamers

With Bryant, Okwara, Collins, Tavai, Davis, and Jones securing the top spots, that only leaves one or two spots for a reserve linebacker.

The first player that should be considered is Ragland. His ability to be positionally fluid is a big plus, but he has always been a part-time player in the NFL. With the Chiefs, he saw only 21.3-percent of their defensive snaps in 2019, 49.4-percent in 2018, and 29.3-percent in 2017. His $962,500 cap hit doubles down on the fact that the Lions only see him as a reserve player as well. There is a contingent of Lions fans who would rather see Ragland get a shot over Davis but I don’t believe that to be a realistic option at this stage.

His primary competition is special teams’ demon Reeves-Maybin. He is not nearly as good a fit in the scheme as Ragland, but Reeves-Maybin is among the elite special teams’ players in the league — PFF gave him a 90.0 special teams grade in 2019 — and that will go a very long way with this organization.

Killebrew is even more limited than Reeves-Maybin in what he can do on defense, but he is also among the best special teams players on the roster. It’s also worth noting that his new contract carries a $1.05 million cap hit in 2020, which is slightly higher than both Ragland and Reeves-Maybin ($978,273). Elijah Lee has similar PFF special teams grades to Killebrew and will also be competition for this role.

Like Ragland, Cabinda and Sam are great scheme fits but offer more on special teams. They will need to take big strides in their game to make the 53,  but the practice squad is a likely landing for at least one of them.

Erik’s take: With defensive positions at a premium, reserves need to play multiple roles, including special teams, so give me Reeves-Maybin as my top option in this group. 

Conclusion

With Collins, Tavai, Davis, Jones, and Okwara rotating through three spots, along with Bryant and Reeves-Maybin holding down key roles, the Lions linebacker corps is improved from last season.

Ragland will likely be one of the final cuts, but as long as Davis is on the roster, Ragland will likely get pushed off it. Killebrew will also be a difficult cut, but he is somewhat redundant with safety Jayron Kearse, who seems like a safe bet for the 53. Additionally, expect one or two from the linebacker group to be kept on the practice squad for developmental purposes.

Matt Patricia laments not having rookie minicamp to unearth more players

Lions coach Matt Patricia laments not having rookie minicamp to unearth more players like Malcolm Butler

Normally at this time of the year, undrafted rookies and local tryout players are giving everything they’ve got to try and latch onto an NFL team. But this year’s pandemic has changed everything, and that includes denying those athletes a chance to compete for jobs. It’s something that bothers Lions head coach Matt Patricia.

Coach Patricia lamented the loss of opportunity to check out these players and the ability to unearth some diamonds in the rough because of the modified protocols regarding the coronavirus pandemic. He talked about the missed opportunity for those players, and for the team to find them, in his media teleconference this week.

“There are definitely guys out there that, because of the situation we’re in, maybe are missing those opportunities that normally would be available to them, and certainly the easiest one to just throw off the top of my head is Malcolm Butler,” Patricia said, citing the Super Bowl hero for the Patriots who was an undrafted tryout player. “I mean having an opportunity to bring a guy like that into a rookie mini-camp or rookie tryout and letting that player perform and produce and give him that opportunity to show us what they can do, it’s unfortunate that that’s the situation we’re in.”

Patricia continued, noting how it forced the team to approach building the team differently this year.

“It’s also something from the standpoint of roster building, we really tried to take into account this year before we got into the Draft and through free agency, knowing that this wasn’t going to be one of those years where you sign 20 free agents after the Draft and you bring them in for a mini-camp for a weekend and you might find – usually we find three or five guys that we want to keep around and work with for the rest of the spring and then bring back to training camp,” Patricia said.

Last year the Lions found DL Kevin Strong and LB Anthony Pittman, both of whom were on the 53-man roster at points in the season after being undrafted and underexposed to the league. It will be more difficult for players like that to latch on in 2020.

Making sense of the Lions roster overload at linebacker

After adding Reggie Ragland and Elijah Lee, the Detroit Lions have 11 LBs on the roster. Here’s how they sort out.

After adding Reggie Ragland from the Super Bowl champion Chiefs and Elijah Lee from the team Kansas City bested, the 49ers, the Lions can now deploy a defense comprised entirely of linebackers. With 11 linebackers currently on the roster, Detroit could have a backer at every single spot.

They won’t, of course, though coach Matt Patricia might be tempted to trot out a 2-8-1 formation just for the chaos factor. But there is certainly a deep mix of LBs to sort through.

The current list of LBs on the Lions roster:

  • Jamie Collins
  • Jarrad Davis
  • Jahlani Tavai
  • Christian Jones
  • Reggie Ragland
  • Jalen Reeves-Maybin
  • Elijah Lee
  • Jason Cabinda
  • Steve Longa
  • Anthony Pittman
  • Christian Sam

How they sort out

Collins will start at one spot, that is certain. The Lions didn’t pay him $30 million to defect from New England and then not play a significant role. He’s experienced at playing the SAM (strongside) role behind a 4-man front, which the Lions seem to be trending to play more often under new defensive coordinator Cory Undlin.

Tavai projects as the likely starter at middle LB, a role he grew in as a rookie in 2019. The Lions run defense did improve when he took over the primary ILB spot.

Jones and Davis now seem to occupy the weakside role, or WILL. If the defense deploys four LBs, they could both be on the field. Jones offers more versatility and is a more reliable all-around player, while Davis should now be able to play in more of a specialist role. That could be a boon for his struggling career.

Davis played his best football in 2018 as a pass-rushing LB behind DT Damon Harrison. With Danny Shelton now manning the nose, Davis could get more looks in that role as a rusher or an assignment-specific nickel backer. Outside of Collins, Davis remains the most athletic and fastest LB on the roster.

Ragland has become an effective run-stuffing ILB in the Chiefs’ version of a 4-man front. His coverage skills are weaker than Tavai, Jones or Collins (who excels in covering TEs). I expect to see him in place of Davis or Jones in short-yardage situations or when the opposing team uses a fullback or two-TE set.

Reeves-Maybin offers potential in nickel packages or 4-LB sets. Lee is the same sort of player, so they are likely dueling for the same roster spot. Lee played well on special teams in San Francisco and that could give him a leg up.

The rest are unlikely to have any role beyond special teams. Longa and Cabinda could be competing for the same backup MLB/ILB role, but the team may opt to not carry than many LBs. Pittman should stick on the practice squad, where he spent his entire rookie season before making his debut in Week 17. Sam is only on a reserve/future contract and might never don a Lions uniform, his Patriots heritage be damned.

Variables

It seems extremely unlikely the Lions will draft any linebackers with any reasonable expectation of making the active roster in 2020. It doesn’t rule out a developmental talent on Day 3, but anything more than that would appear to be a redundant case of draft resource wastefulness.

While I don’t expect it to happen, the possibility of Jarrad Davis being traded does at least merit consideration. His inexpensive salary means there is no real point in cutting the 2017 first-rounder. Davis is well-respected in the locker room and deserves a chance to try and salvage his Lions career in Undlin’s new defense. His trade value would appear to be quite low.

Jones signed a two-year contract extension in November, an indication of some level of commitment. It’s a team-friendly contract if they opt to remove Jones, who did not play well in 2019, before the season. Dumping the veteran would eat just under $2.2 million in cap room in 2020 and about $1.1 million in 2021.