Lions' Derrick Barnes: Racks up 81 tackles in 2023
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Barnes (knee) registered 81 tackles, 1.0 sacks and one forced fumble over 16 regular-season games in 2023.
A strong summer propelled Barnes into the Week 1 starting lineup over first-round rookie Jack Campbell, and Barnes maintained a large role within Detroit's defense even as Campbell's role increased throughout the year. No play was bigger for Barnes than his game-sealing interception of Baker Mayfield in the playoffs to send Detroit to the NFC Championship Game, in which Barnes hurt his knee after just three plays. While the linebacker said at the time that he believed he avoided structural damage to his knee, per Kyle Meinke of MLive.com, it is not clear if Barnes -- who is entering the final year of his contract -- will be ready for offseason workouts in mid-April.
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Lions' Derrick Barnes: Leaves game with knee injury
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Barnes (knee) is questionable to return to Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the 49ers.
Barnes sustained the knee injury on the 49ers' first drive of the game. While he's sidelined, James Houston and Jalen Reeves-Maybin are candidates to see more snaps at outside linebacker alongside starter Jack Campbell.
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Lions' Derrick Barnes: Whiffs with chance at safety
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Barnes recorded five tackles (three solo) in Saturday's 20-19 loss at Dallas.
Barnes looked like he was more or less back to his old self in his return from his shoulder injury, racking up tackles at a rate similar to what he had the rest of the season up to Week 17. However, he'll probably remember Saturday's game for a tackle he didn't make, when he came in unblocked on a blitz and missed a clear shot at Dak Prescott in the Cowboys' end zone. Barnes' missed opportunity for a safety turned into a 92-yard catch and run for CeeDee Lamb, which was arguably the difference in a one-point loss. Detroit hosts the Vikings in Week 18.
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Lions' Derrick Barnes: Estimated as full participant
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Barnes (shoulder) was listed as a full participant on the Lions' practice estimate Tuesday, Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com reports.
The estimation signals Barnes is probably on track to play in Week 17 at Dallas. If he is available, he projects to start at linebacker next to Alex Anzalone and Jack Campbell on Saturday.
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Lions' Derrick Barnes: Inactive as expected
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Barnes (shoulder) is inactive ahead of Sunday's game against the Vikings.
Barnes suffered a shoulder injury in the Lions' Week 15 win over the Broncos, and he was listed as doubtful after a week of limited practice sessions, so it's no surprise that he'll miss the team's Christmas Eve divisional contest. Jalen Reeves-Maybin is expected to see more work in Detroit's linebacker corps with Barnes missing time.
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Lions' Derrick Barnes: Opens week with limited practice
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Barnes (shoulder) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice.
Barnes injured his shoulder in the second quarter of Saturday's win over Denver but was able to return after halftime. That and his ability to practice Wednesday (albeit in limited fashion) are good signs that he'll be able to suit up Sunday versus the Vikings. Barnes has already set career highs with 577 defensive snaps and 71 tackles through 14 games this season. He's added one sack and one forced fumble.
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Lions' Derrick Barnes: Dodges injury report
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Barnes (lower body) was not listed on Detroit's injury report Wednesday.
Barnes was forced out of Thursday's game at Green Bay with cramps, but he now appears to be back to full strength for Week 5. He'll resume his starting role at linebacker next to Alex Anzalone and Jack Campbell.
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Lions' Derrick Barnes: Exits game early
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Barnes (lower body) is questionable to return to the Lions' contest with the Packers on Thursday night, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Barnes is dealing with some lower-body cramps and may not be able to re-enter the game. In his absence, Anthony Pittman will likely see an increase in workload.
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Lions' Derrick Barnes: Ties for team lead in tackles
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Barnes logged six tackles with one TFL during Thursday's 21-20 win over the Chiefs.
Barnes drew the start at linebacker next to Alex Anzalone, and he ended up tying his counterpart for the team lead in tackles despite seeing about half of the defensive snaps. However, Barnes averaged just 4.3 tackles per game while operating in a similar role down the stretch last season, and he figures to see less playing time as the campaign unfolds given the presence of first-round draft pick Jack Campbell.
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Lions' Derrick Barnes: Good to go
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Barnes (knee) has been cleared to play in Saturday's game versus the Panthers.
Barnes has been sidelined for the Lions' previous two games while nursing a knee injury. However, he logged limited workloads at practice all this week and appears to be ready to return to his usual role, assuming he avoids any setbacks.
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Lions' Derrick Barnes: Seven stops in massive win
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Barnes recorded seven tackles (six solo) during Sunday's 31-18 victory versus the Giants.
Barnes logged his third-best tackling performance of the season as the Lions rolled over the Giants in Week 11. While the linebacker did the majority of his work on defense (36 snaps), he also added one solo tackle over his 14 special-teams snaps. After playing just 88 defensive snaps and totaling 13 tackles over the first seven weeks of the season, Barnes has totaled 21 tackles while playing 119 of his 137 snaps on defense over the past three weeks.
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Lions' Derrick Barnes: Leads big defensive effort
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Barnes recorded 12 tackles (four solo), including one sack, and added one pass defensed in Sunday's 15-9 win over Green Bay.
Detroit's defense stymied Aaron Rodgers and the Packers all afternoon, and Barnes played a big part in that, more than doubling his previous season high with 12 stops. He also registered his first sack of the campaign when he brought down Rodgers after Green Bay had passed midfield late in the second quarter. Barnes played on 67 percent of the Lions' defensive snaps in the victory, by far his highest share of playing time so far this season.
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Lions' Derrick Barnes: Role expanding
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With Detroit expected to move on from Jamie Collins, Barnes is positioned for an expanded role on defense, Chris Burke of The Athletic reports.
Burke notes that head coach Dan Campbell suggested this week that Barnes likely won't directly step into Collins' starting role and log close to 100 percent of the snaps. Instead, Alex Anzalone is expected to remain a key cog at inside linebacker while Barnes and Jalen Reeves-Maybin rotate in beside him. However, Reeves-Maybin has mostly been a special-teams player through five seasons in the league and Barnes is a fourth-round rookie who has impressed with his pass-rushing and tackling ability, so it wouldn't be a surprise if Detroit gives Barnes more and more playing time as the season unfolds.
