{"id":251990,"date":"2025-10-30T11:53:56","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T15:53:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=251990"},"modified":"2025-10-30T11:53:56","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T15:53:56","slug":"lions-derrick-barnes-who-is-making-the-opposition-pay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/10\/30\/lions-derrick-barnes-who-is-making-the-opposition-pay\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a0Detroit Lions’ Unsung Hero Who Is Making the Opposition Pay"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

When you have elite defenders like Aidan Hutchinson<\/a> and Jack Campbell<\/a> drawing attention, it\u2019s easier for other talented players to fly under the radar and make plays the opposition doesn\u2019t see coming. Now, one of the Detroit Lions’ previously unsung heroes, Derrick Barnes, is becoming a standout talent and making the opposition take notice.<\/p>\r\n

Lions’ Unsung Hero Who Is Making the Opposition Pay\u00a0<\/h2>\r\n

Returning from 2024\u2019s season-ending surgery, Barnes has been quietly making an impact as a stealthy, unseen threat. But after his standout performance in the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,<\/a> he\u2019s no longer invisible. Barnes, along with Campbell and Alex Anzalone,<\/a> make up the NFL’s only linebacker trio where all three rank in the top 30 at their position in snaps this season.<\/a>\u00a0 No other team can boast a trio of linebackers who come close to matching those numbers. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n

During that game, the 6\u20190\u201d 240 lb. Barnes exploded for five tackles, 1 TFL, 1.0 sack, one quarterback hit, and a pass defense. In the locker room after the Lions’ decisive 24-9 victory, Dan Campbell singled him out for a game ball<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s playing really good football, and just versatile, man. To have this guy back,” said Campbell, “it’s been big.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Barnes, A Foundational Player In The Lions Rebuild<\/h3>\r\n

Drafted by the Lions in the fourth round (113th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft, Barnes was one of the first players selected by Brad Holmes. That renowned draft class, consisting of Penei Sewell<\/a>, Amon-Ra St. Brown<\/a>, Alim McNeill,<\/a> and Barnes, formed the foundation of what would soon become the Lions\u2019 rebirth.

During his five years with Detroit, the former Purdue Boilermaker recorded 247 tackles (120 solo), 7.0 sacks, five PDFs, one safety, and a forced fumble. Following a strong 2023 season where Barnes recorded a career-high 78 tackles (41 solo), five TFLs, and 1.0 sacks in 16 games, he began 2024 with high hopes. On January 21, 2024, in the NFC Divisional playoff game against the Buccaneers, Barnes snatched a late-game interception off Baker Mayfield. It was the first pick of his career and capped off a 31-23 victory that sent the Lions to the NFC Championship.<\/p>\r\n

A Devastating End to A Promising 2024 Season<\/h3>\r\n

Preparing for a breakout year in 2024, Barnes was off to a strong start with 10 tackles (four solo) and a pass defense when disaster struck in Week 3. During the game against the Arizona Cardinals<\/a>, he injured his right knee, tearing his ACL and PCL. It was a brutal ending to a season that had started with so much promise.

During his lengthy recovery, the 26-year-old feared his time in Detroit might be at an end. Before his injury, Barnes had been a solid, dependable member of the Lions’ defense, but he was in the final year of his rookie contract. Being unable to play for the majority of the 2024 season made him vulnerable.

However, Holmes and Campbell have a history of rewarding players who work hard, meet the Lions’ standard, and contribute to the team\u2019s success. Despite his injury, the Lions believed in Barnes\u2019 talent and were confident he would continue to excel. In March of 2025, Holmes signed him to a three-year contract extension worth $25.5 million, with $16 million guaranteed. The contract extension keeps Barnes with the team through the 2027 season.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Barnes, Grateful To Be Back<\/h3>\r\n
\"Derrick
Oct 5, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Detroit Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes (55) walks off the field following a win over the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n

Excited to be back in action this season and grateful for the team’s belief in him, the fifth-year veteran immediately began making his presence felt on the field. In the season opener against Green Bay, he had six tackles and stuffed Josh Jacobs on a running play. Two weeks later, after sacking Lamar Jackson<\/a>, he hit Derrick Henry<\/a> for a loss that resulted in a fumble. Although the Baltimore Ravens<\/a> recovered the ball, the Lions emerged with a decisive 24-20 victory. In the Lions\u2019 37-24 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals<\/a>, Barnes came up with a safety.<\/p>\r\n

Barnes’s versatility<\/a> and his talent at moving around in different formations make him difficult to defend. Recently, Lions\u2019 DC Kelvin Sheppard<\/a> underscored how important Barnes is to Detroit\u2019s defense, \u201cYeah, you ask Brad what he means to my defense. I said that\u2019s a player I had to have. \u00a0I told him, that\u2019s a player I have to have. That is literally my little brother on and off the field. I know he looks up to me and that means a lot to me, but outside of that, I believe this kid can play four or five spots on the football field and do it at a high level.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Barnes, Coming Into His Own As A Team Leader<\/h3>\r\n

Although Barnes\u2019 family initially had reservations about his signing with the perennially losing Lions, he couldn\u2019t be happier now. In a recent interview on the NFL Network\u2019s \u201cGood Morning Football,\u201d<\/a> Barnes declared that the Lions organization is unlike any other team in the NFL. “I\u2019m just so blessed and honored to be part of this organization under Dan Campbell. Man, hopefully I get to spend the rest of my career here, because I don\u2019t think there\u2019s any place like Detroit.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

In addition to his standout plays on the football field, Barnes has become a leader in the locker room and a terrific ambassador for the team. With all the recent accolades coming his way, Barnes is quick to praise his teammates and, in particular, the Lions coaching staff.<\/p>\r\n

When asked about how well the newly signed and practice squad players have stepped up to cover for injured starters, Barnes gave kudos to the coaches for getting the guys who just arrived ready to play the Buccaneers. Describing how the coaches provide players with everything they need to be successful, Barnes made it clear that the expectation is to go out there and perform. \u201cNo matter if you got there yesterday, a week ago, three weeks ago,\u201d he explained. It\u2019s the same standard, same expectations for everybody.<\/p>\r\n

Barnes, Determined To Prove the Lions Were Right\u00a0<\/h3>\r\n

Barnes said Campbell is the \u201cbest coach I ever had, like, head-coaching wise.\u201d Describing him as a great man and a great leader, Barnes compared Campbell to Sheppard in terms of his approachability.\u00a0 <\/span><\/a>\u201cAnd he\u2019s just like Shep — you can go talk to these guys about anything, any problems you have,” he said. \u201cI mean, it\u2019s a beautiful thing that I can walk up to his office anytime, \u2018Hey, what\u2019s going on, DB, what\u2019s on your mind?\u2019 And I can express my feelings to him. It\u2019s amazing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

But perhaps most of all, Barnes is deeply grateful for the confidence that Campbell and Holmes demonstrated<\/a> when he was at his lowest point and undergoing a grueling recovery. \u201cI can\u2019t thank the Lions organization enough for believing in me and allowing me to showcase my talent.\u201d Barnes is dedicating this season to being the player he knows he can be and proving the Lions were right to believe in him. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Main Image: David Reginek – Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Now one of the Detroit Lions’ previously unsung heroes, Derrick Barnes, is becoming a standout talent and making the opposition take notice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5208,"featured_media":252909,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[24,6431],"tags":[8125,7467],"class_list":["post-251990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lions","category-nfl-teams","tag-derrick-barnes","tag-detroit-lions-news"],"modified_by":"Isaac Zuniga","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251990","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5208"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251990"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251990\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":252911,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251990\/revisions\/252911"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/252909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}