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Lions' Malcolm Rodriguez out for season with torn ACL; LB Kwon Alexander to sign
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- Lions' Malcolm Rodriguez out for season with torn ACL; LB Kwon Alexander to sign
The Detroit Lions have lost another front-seven defender to a season-ending injury, and are bringing in more veteran help to replace him.
Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez tore his ACL in his right knee in Thursday's 23-20 win over the Chicago Bears , a source familiar with the diagnosis confirmed to the Free Press on Friday afternoon.
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NFL Network first reported news of Rodriguez's injury, and agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN the Lions are signing Kwon Alexander off the Denver Broncos practice squad to add depth to their linebacking unit.
Rodriguez, drafted in the sixth round in 2022 , has one season left on his rookie deal.
Detroit Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (44) tackles Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet (85) during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024.
The Lions have lost three defensive starters to likely season-ending injuries this year: Aidan Hutchinson broke his leg , Marcus Davenport tore his triceps and Derrick Barnes tore the MCL and PCL in his knee . Starting linebacker Alex Anzalone also is out for the rest of the regular season with a broken forearm , and the Lions lost three defensive players to injury Thursday : Rodriguez, Josh Paschal (knee) and Levi Onwuzurike (hamstring).
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Lions coach Dan Campbell said after the game Rodriguez's injury was the biggest concern , but said it's up to the Lions to navigate their injuries.
"I know this, whoever we have available we're going to get them ready to play and we expect them to hold the line, period," Campbell said. "You got to do your job and everybody around you is looking for you to do your job. So we'll give you the best opportunity to have success or put you in the best position to have success and, man, and we'll go. And if we got to do something different, we got defensive injuries, if that makes us do something different offensively and special teams, we'll do that. If it's offensively, we'll play a little different on defense and special teams and we'll find a way to balance the levies."
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The Lions are down three of their top four linebackers from the start of the season, with only Jack Campbell remaining from their Week 1 rotation. Backup Jalen Reeves-Maybin also is on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, but due back in December.
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On Thursday, Campbell played all 67 defensive snaps, and the Lions used David Long (12 snaps) and Ezekiel Turner (22 snaps) to help fill the void left by Rodriguez's injury .
Long, 28 and a starter with the Miami Dolphins early this season, signed to the Lions' practice squad last week and was promoted to the 53-man roster on Wednesday. Turner, 28, signed to the practice squad Nov. 6, played primarily on special teams his first few games in Detroit and was added to the 53-man roster 10 days later.
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Alexander, 30, played in three games and made two starts with the Broncos early this season and spent part of the 2020 season with the New Orleans Saints , when Dan Campbell and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn were Saints assistants.
Kwon Alexander with the Broncos.
Alexander made the Pro Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017, and has eight tackles, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery this season.
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Dave Birkett will sign copies of his new book, " Detroit Lions : An Illustrated Timeline" from noon-2 p.m. Saturday at the Troy Sports Card Show at the Balkan American Community Center. Order your copy here . Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Malcolm Rodriguez injury ACL: Detroit Lions LB out for season
