ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions have shifted their defensive line rotation since Alim McNeill rejoined them a couple of weeks ago.
One of the main changes has been the shrinking playing time for first-round pick Tyleik Williams. The rookie defensive lineman has shifted from playing 20-plus snaps every game to only 19 combined across the team’s last two times on the field.
McNeill (47), Tyler Lacy (36), D.J. Reader (26) and Roy Lopez (12) all played more than Williams (eight) against the Washington Commanders last weekend.
“Tyliek’s just a young guy, continuing to get better (and) growing,” Campbell told 97.1 The Ticket on Tuesday. “There’s just a little inconsistency, at times, but that’s not out of the norm. (He just needs to) correct it, get a little bit better, and move on.”
There were some stats going around highlighting Williams’ ability as a stout anchor for the run defense, though. With Williams on the field, the Lions are the best run defense in the league, allowing only 3.4 yards per rush. They also spot a 32.7% run-stuff rate, tops in the league across those 105 rushes. Without the first-round rookie on the field, the defen ranks 23rd with 4.7 yards per rush allowed and 32nd with a 8.9% run-stuff rate.
Campbell said the hard thing for Williams is a good thing for the Lions. McNeill, Reader and Lopez are all playing at a high level right now, “so all he needs to do is elevate his game, and then he’ll be in front of them.”
It’s the same conversation that’s been had about Mekhi Wingo’s lack of playing time. Wingo, the second-year defensive lineman, has played only one game this year. He played 30-plus snaps back in Week 2, but hasn’t been seen on the field since.
The Lions like Lacy’s ability to play big defensive end. They put a lot on McNeill’s shoulders and there is a ton of trust in Reader’s ability to clog lanes.
Lopez’s playing time hasn’t taken off or anything like the. The free-agent addition has just been making the most of his chances in recent weeks, while still playing around 10-15 snaps each game.
Pro Football Focus had Lopez as Detroit’s highest-graded defensive player against the Commanders. Despite playing only 12 defensive snaps, Lopez was third on the team with five tackles, got home for a sack and added two tackles for loss in the win. He was also second on the team with three run stuffs, plays are defined as stops that result in a failure for the offense, according to PFF. And this isn’t the first time this happened, with Lopez posting three tackles, two run stops across only 11 snaps in the game before the bye week.
Campbell said Lopez has been playing at a really high level since he arrived in Detroit. It’s just starting to pop recently, with the Lions coach saying his ability to lift the point of attack is “one of the reasons we wanted him here.”
“He’s an outstanding role player for us (and) when he comes in, we don’t miss a beat,” Campbell told 97.1 of Lopez. “He’s one of those guys, man, he plays with leverage. He’s stout. He’s strong. He’s explosive. But then he can run the line of scrimmage, too, now. So, you want to run outside zone on him, he can get knocked back -- that was evident the other day.
“He was in the backfield two or three different times and he’s one of the reasons we has some of those TFLs.”
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