ALLEN PARK -- New Detroit Lions linebacker Grant Stuard had options in free agency, including with some teams featuring more room on their depth chart.
However, Stuard landed with the Detroit Lions on a one-year deal, pointing to the team’s culture, the way they play and the chance to add value to a true contender as the main reasons.
The 26-year-old spent the last three years with the Indianapolis Colts after entering the NFL as a seventh-round pick to the Houston Texans in 2021. Stuard has missed only two games, playing 17 games in three out of four seasons. He started five games for the Colts last season, getting a chance to flex his defensive muscle after logging 1,200-plus snaps on special teams in four years.
“Culture, immediately. From watching Detroit, playing against them, my family rooting for them forever since Campbell’s been here. I feel like I knew a lot about them,” Stuard said. “I feel like they’re widely covered. I’m a guy that I love to work hard, I love to improve, I love to be coached. I’m really big on just trying to be the best version of myself every single day, and I feel like this is an environment that’s super conducive to that.
“Especially just talking to my agent, talking with some guys I played with like Pat O’Connor. It just really spoke to, ‘Well, if this is the type of guy that you are, this is the type of team that is.’ So I feel like it was a good fit.”
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The Lions have veteran captain Alex Anzalone and recent first-round pick Jack Campbell at the top of the depth chart. They just inked Derrick Barnes to a new three-year, $25.5 million deal and also re-signed Anthony Pittman, Trevor Nowaske and Ezekiel Turner. Malcolm Rodriguez returned to the rotation last year, meaning the Lions have a strong linebacker room and several proven special teams options.
“I think it’s also clear from a demonstration standpoint with Detroit that they’re going to play the best 11 in the best situation on the best down -- you know what I’m saying?” Stuard said. “Like, specifics of what’s going on specifically on the field. I got to see a little bit of that when I was in Indy, as far as we’d play a Lamar Jackson or something like that, I’d come in and maybe add to the blitz package or spy him or something like that, and so, that’s something that they said that they do here. And at the end of the day, I’m going to compete.
“If I’m not getting a lot of playing time on a great team, that’s just inspiring for me to improve, versus, I can go to a team maybe not as good or go to a team with a room that has a lot more question marks than this team, which I had some opportunities to do that. But I’m just excited about adding value here, about improving, about learning from some guys who are established.”
He added that learning from Zaire Franklin in Indianapolis was when he felt the most growth of his career. Stuard said he’s looking forward to working with the Lions linebackers and reuniting with Rodriguez from their time together at the Senior Bowl.
The linebacker could have landed with a team needing linebackers at the top of the depth chart based on his Week 7 performance alone. In his first career start, Stuard posted 19 tackles, including one for loss across a career-high 64 defensive snaps.
Stuard isn’t worried about that, even after getting an extended look on defense for the first time in his career. Still, he’s entering a situation where defensive snaps are hard to come by, with a special teams unit filled with proven commodities.
“Yeah, definitely talked to (special teams) coach (Dave) Fipp today,” Stuard said. “Got to ask him a couple of questions. He got to hear from me a little bit. It’s just about connection. I didn’t know of him until we were about to play them and stuff like that and got to studying the coach and the opponent and stuff like that. I think that what we can relate a whole lot over is energy.
“That’s what I saw from him when I met with him. And, also, that’s what I’ve been hearing about him, as well. I’m a high-energy guy. I play with high energy.”