The Detroit Lions saw their fourth-round rookie Jimmy Rolder make his NFL debut in Week 3. While the rookie linebacker did not see the field on defense, he did get 15 snaps across four phases on special teams.
Head coach Dan Campbell acknowledged that the rookie stood out despite the limited sample of snaps. He told the hosts at 97.1 The Ticket that he was impressed.
“I think Rolder on special teams did a nice job for somebody that has never played in the NFL in a real game to cut it loose; that was impressive,” said Campbell. “Now it has to stay that way; he has to do it again.”
Later, he noted that the Lions have a plan to get Rolder on the field a bit on defense. He added that the plan is to rotate all of their linebackers into the mix.
“We’ll play all those guys, I mean, Rodrigo, see if we can get Rolder in a little bit on defense; certainly Nowaske. You’ve got Barnes and Jack, who are staples for us, and then you have Amen for special teams,” added Campbell.
Despite the slow start to his career, it looks like things are about to ramp up for the rookie from Michigan.
Detroit Lions Impressed With Jimmy Rolder in NFL Debut
Rolder was just a one-year starter for Michigan. He is a bit inexperienced, and that caused him to fall to the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. He was not expected to have a significant role early in his career, but he still suffered a setback with a hamstring injury that he sustained in training camp.
That caused him to miss the entire preseason. It is already tough for a rookie to see the field, but he fell even further behind due to the lost time.
Still, he returned to practice and was able to get on the field in some capacity, with the plan to give him an uptick in work. That means the team will likely keep free agent addition Devin White inactive.
Lions Linebacker Room is Filling Out
As Campbell noted, the Lions have six active linebackers, and they have roles for all six of them. So, with Rolder active, White will have to remain inactive.
Derrick Barnes and Jack Campbell are the every-down players at linebacker. However, they tend to mix in Malcolm Rodriguez for rotational snaps, as well as Trevor Nowaske. Nowaske is more of a pass rusher, while Rodriguez is better in coverage.
They also kept Amen Ogbongbemiga, who is a special teams asset. Between those five and Rolder, whom the team wants to develop, there is no room for White.
It will be interesting to see how they bring Rolder into the mix, and who loses snaps because of it. His skill set is best aligned with Rodriguez, so it would make sense to see Rodriguez lose some snaps in the coming weeks as Rolder sees an uptick.
Lions HC Opens Up on Fourth-Round Rookie’s Growing Role