With the calendar flipping to April, teams across the NFL, including the Detroit Lions, are turning their attention away from free agency and towards the 2026 NFL draft. The Lions will likely look to address the offensive and defensive lines early in the draft, given how free agency has played out.
Speaking of free agency, the Lions didn’t take a bunch of huge swings in trying to replace Alex Anzalone, who left to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Instead, they brought back a familiar face in Malcolm Rodriguez, who reportedly had interest from the Houston Texans.
Rodriguez, who has made a name for himself over the years in Detroit on special teams, has a good chance of starting this upcoming season, which is a complete 360-degree turn from where he was this time last year.
Last offseason, the veteran linebacker was rehabbing from a torn ACL that he suffered during the 2024 season. Rodriguez finally returned to the field in Week 12 last season, playing mostly on special teams (160 snaps) and not much on defense (72). That being said, he has a good opportunity to start, with not much competition behind him.
Malcolm Rodriguez’s 2026 Outlook on Upswing Following 1st Month of Free Agency
The first and only time Rodriguez was a full-time starter was his rookie season in 2022. During that season, the 5-foot-11, 230-pound defender had 87 combined tackles, eight tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, two pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a sack in 16 games (15 starts).Â
Those are pretty solid stats for a sixth-round pick, who also showed some promise in stopping the run with a 66.4 grade, but left some room for improvement in the pass coverage department (55.1 grade), per Pro Football Focus.
Since then, he’s been predominantly a special-teams player over the last three years, but his familiarity with the team and the coaches should give him an edge over Damone Clark, who the Lions signed to one of their patented one-year deals.
Clark was most recently with the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans last season, where he started in two games in Dallas, but played a ton on special teams. During the first two years of his career, the 25-year-old started in 22 games, including all 17 in his second year with Dallas.
In his first year as a full-time starter, Clark had 109 combined tackles, four tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, three pass deflections, and a fumble recovery. He also allowed 9.3 yards per reception, a touchdown, and a 104.2 passer rating against.
However, after that, Clark reverted to a depth role, starting in six games over the next three years. In a way, the veteran LBs are in the same spots; however, Rodriguez has the edge based on the reasons we mentioned earlier.
Now, with that being said, it doesn’t dismiss the idea of the Lions taking another linebacker during the NFL draft, which they absolutely do. But that rookie won’t push for a starting job out of the gate, as Rodriguez will get every chance to solidify himself.
If Rodriguez thrives as a starter this upcoming season, it would be a huge boost for the Lions’ defense, as it was murky for a bit on what their plans were to fill the void left by Anzalone.