Getty Derrick Barnes celebrates a play on the field for the Lions in 2021.
There weren’t a ton of positives for the Detroit Lions in their Week 6 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, but one of the biggest revolved around the play of a key defensive rookie.
Linebacker Derrick Barnes continues to play a key role for the team this season since being inserted into the lineup, and very quietly, Week 6 could have proven to be one of his best weeks on the field to date in his young career even amid a dismal blowout loss.
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Following Detroit’s game against the Bengals, Pro Football Focus had Barnes graded as a top-three linebacker in the NFL from Week 6 given a 90.5 rating on the defensive side of the ball from the game. In a game recap on the site, writer Austin Gayle called Barnes “really impressive” for his work at linebacker during the game in spite of just 33 snaps on the afternoon.
Perhaps Barnes’ best play on the field Sunday ended up being a pass play in which he deflected the ball away from Cincinnati tight end Drew Sample. Here’s a look at how it happened:
I like #55 Barnes. Sample was open it was burrows only read and. JB put it right on his hands but 55 is so alert strong hands of his own.
As a whole, Barnes finished with 6 solo tackles on the day and led the team with regard to the stat defensively. It’s clear that Barnes stepped up and played his best football, which is big news as he continues to get comfortable on the field during his rookie year. As he continues to play, he continues to show signs he belongs as well as improvement. That’s about all that could be asked from a rookie player learning on the job during his first season in the league.
Dan Campbell: Barnes Doing ‘Pretty Good’ for Lions
Barnes is far from the only Detroit rookie to impress when given a shot this season. The team has seen the emergence of multiple young players on the roster. Penei Sewell has played every game so far for the Lions along the offensive line, rookie wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown has delivered to the tune of 204 receiving yards. Rookie defensive lineman Alim McNeill has collected 14 total tackles on the year
Barnes, however, has impressed his head coach in a big way so far. Dan Campbell cited the rookie linebacker unprompted when speaking to the media on Monday, October 18 about some young players who are doing well on the field for the team.
“Derrick Barnes, man, he’s doing pretty good. He’s improving,” Campbell admitted to the media honestly.
The more Barnes plays, the more he could be expected to do big things to help the Lions. The team is notably thin at linebacker, and if Barnes can stay healthy and on the field, he could do even more damage the rest of this year.
Barnes’ Stats & Highlights
What has been shown thus far on the field is just what the Lions seemed to think they were getting in Barnes when they selected him in the 2021 NFL draft. Based on his track record from college, a pretty productive player. Barnes has been a productive player in the Big Ten, racking up 226 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception in his college career. The numbers paint the picture of a tackling machine and a guy who can get after it in between the lines and make big plays for a defense sideline to sideline. The talent is clearly there.
Here’s a look at what the highlights show from college:
In due time, one could expect Barnes to play a bigger role for the team and the defense, and that’s looking exceptionally clear after Week 6. While the Lions might have lost, the game was a win in terms of getting one of the most important players on the defense some extra seasoning for his future.
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