The linebacker position has been an area of emphasis following the 2025 season, and since then, the Detroit Lions have lost Alex Anzalone to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency. The Lions responded by re-signing fan-favorite LB Malcolm Rodriguez to a one-year deal, maintaining some depth alongside Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes.
While Rodriguez made it clear that he wants to become a starter in 2026, he has not held that role since his 2022 rookie season. On Wednesday, those intentions may have taken a back seat as the Lions revealed on X that they had signed former Houston Texans LB Damone Clark to a one-year deal.
The Lions still had an LB mystery to solve even after they re-signed Rodriguez, and the addition of Clark definitely addresses some of those depth concerns. Rodriguez clearly expressed his desire to get more involved in the defense, but Clark's versatility in playing special teams last season and a knack for stopping the run - an area Detroit was average in last season - could impact how often Rodriguez sees defensive snaps in 2026.
Malcolm Rodriguez Will Be Challenged for Starting Role with Lions
Rodriguez flashed his potential in 2022, a season in which he had 87 combined tackles, eight tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, two passes defended, a forced fumble, and a sack in 16 total games, 15 of which were starts. That level of performance is certainly worthy of a starting role, but he has not been nearly as effective since then.
Over the last three seasons, Rodriguez has appeared in 34 games, starting only 10 of them. As someone who has played more of the LB3 role, Rodriguez was more of a special teams contributor last season with 160 snaps in that role, compared to just 72 on defense. A torn ACL during the 2024 season, which was shaping up to be a decent season with 43 tackles, two sacks, and one fumble recovery, carried over to 2025, forcing Rodriguez to miss the majority of the season until he returned in Week 12.
Even though Rodriguez has not been as effective since the Lions drafted Campbell in 2023, the departure of Anzalone, who had the second-most tackles (95) on the team behind Campbell last season, definitely opens the door for Rodriguez to inherit the starting role. It also speaks volumes that he decided to pass up an opportunity to join a Texans squad that was one of the most vaunted defenses in the entire NFL last season.
There is no guarantee that Clark will come in and take the starting spot away from Rodriguez. Despite the tenacity he showed early in his career with the Dallas Cowboys when he went off for a career-high 109 tackles in 2023, while adding 0.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery across his first three seasons in Dallas, Clark only posted a combined 28 tackles last season in a campaign that began with the Cowboys and ended with the Texans after a mid-season trade.
With Clark's role primarily on special teams last season, it is fair to point out that his less-than-ideal defensive production was likely somewhat due to that. When you consider his early success on defense and ability to stop the run, though, that is more than encouraging for a Lions team that was 13th in rush yards allowed (114.5).
Rodriguez has not exactly excelled when given an opportunity of late. However, his rookie season and confidence that he can be a starter for the Lions again show that he is ready to take advantage of the opportunity in front of him. He may still get the role eventually, but it is by no means a guarantee after Clark's addition.