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Detroit Lions Offseason Prediction: Linebackers

By Erik Schlitt

Dec 21, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Detroit Lions outside linebacker Josh Bynes (57) gestures in the first quarter of the game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 21, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Detroit Lions outside linebacker Josh Bynes (57) gestures in the first quarter of the game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports /
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As we near free agency and the NFL draft, Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn will be looking for athletic upgrades to the linebacker group.

When Bob Quinn took over as general manager of the Detroit Lions he talked about building the teams depth, but also acknowledged it was going to take patience. He spent time focusing on the offensive and defensive lines in the draft and adding skill players on offense and in the secondary. The linebackers seemed to get the least attention, with Quinn gambling on existing veterans to carry the unit.

That gamble proved to be costly as two of those vets, Josh Bynes (knee) and Jon Bostic (foot), went down with injuries in the preseason and landed on injured reserve. Quinn tried to compensate by claiming career special teamer Thurston Armbrister off waivers, but the plan was for him to be depth, not a starter.

Then DeAndre Levy went down in week one.

Now with Tahir Whitehead and Kyle van Noy as the only veteran starters, coaches were left to choose between rookie Antwione Williams or Armbrister as the third linebacker. It became clear very quickly that these options weren’t ideal. Add in terrible play from Kyle Van Noy (who was eventually traded) and the unit was never able to find its footing.

Quinn made a shrewd move to release Bynes from injured reserve early in the process. By reaching an injury settlement, Bynes became an immediate free agent, and if he didn’t sign with another team, he could return to Detroit 6 weeks post-settlement. This allowed Quinn to keep his option to return one player from injured reserve for the season and potentially re-sign Bynes after week eight.

Presumably, the plan was to activate Bostic from injured reserve, re-sign Bynes and return Levy from injury, in turn, bringing life back into the unit. But the plan only partially worked. Bynes did re-sign, but Bostic never returned and Levy’s injury ended up lasting longer than expected.

Injuries, poor play, and gambling on mid-tier talent ended up making the linebacker unit the least successful group of players at any one position on this team. Make no mistake, Bob Quinn will be addressing this units starters and depth this offseason.

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