From starting as a rookie to becoming a role player, can Malcolm Rodriguez regain the starting job for 2026?
With training camp officially underway, the focus now shifts to the roster’s biggest position battles. One of the most intriguing competitions will be at outside linebacker, where Alex Anzalone started last season. Following Anzalone’s departure in free agency, the battle appears to come down to rookie Jimmy Rolder and veteran Malcolm Rodriguez.
Rodriguez has been with the Lions since they selected him in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He immediately exceeded expectations, earning a starting role as a rookie and proving to be a reliable defender.
To begin his career, Rodriguez appeared in 16 games as a rookie and all 17 games in his second season. However, his momentum came to a halt when he suffered a non-contact ACL tear in his right knee during Detroit’s Thanksgiving game against the Chicago Bears in 2024. The injury required surgery, followed by a second procedure to address scar tissue and lingering stiffness, delaying his recovery.
Despite the setback, and slow return in 2025 the Lions re-signed Rodriguez to a one-year contract this offseason, showing confidence in his ability to return to form.
Rodriguez opened the 2025 season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, causing him to miss the first 10 games. He returned on Nov. 23 and primarily contributed on special teams while continuing to work through the effects of his knee injury. He appeared in seven games, making one start, and finished with 12 total tackles and one tackle for loss.
Over his career, Rodriguez has played in 50 games with 25 starts. He has totaled 163 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, three sacks, five quarterback hits, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. While he has yet to record a regular-season interception, Lions fans will never forget his memorable pick of Brock Purdy in the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers.
As a rookie, Rodriguez started 15 games and earned a 62.8 overall Pro Football Focus grade. He posted a 66.4 run-defense grade, a 66.0 pass-rush grade and a 55.1 coverage grade while recording 58 solo tackles, one sack and four pressures over 611 defensive snaps.
Before suffering his ACL injury in 2024, Rodriguez was playing the best football of his career. He earned a 74.4 overall PFF grade, ranking 16th among NFL linebackers, along with an outstanding 87.1 run-defense grade that ranked eighth in the league. He also recorded a 65.4 coverage grade, 29 solo tackles, two sacks, three pressures and allowed a passer rating of 93.9 while playing 318 snaps.
Even after returning from injury, Rodriguez immediately reminded everyone of the physical player he has always been. One of the first moments that stood out was when he drove All-Pro Eagles left tackle Lane Johnson to the ground while fighting through a block. It wasn’t a highlight-reel tackle, but it demonstrated that his strength, toughness and aggressive style had not disappeared.
Now more than a full year removed from his ACL injury, Rodriguez appears poised to return to the level of play he showed during his rookie campaign and throughout the 2024 season.
Lions fans may also remember Rodriguez from HBO’s Hard Knocks during his rookie year. Then-linebackers coach, and now defensive coordinator, Kelvin Sheppard passionately praised the rookie in front of the team, saying, “This is a rookie who I’m doing everything I can to not put him out there first.” He later added, “Keep playing your ass off and keep climbing the depth chart until somebody decides I’m not gonna let this rookie take my job. If he’s the better guy, he’s the better guy. Ain’t nothing wrong with that, but it’s the fact that he’s doing it right.”
That mentality helped Rodriguez earn a starting job as a rookie, and it could do the same again in 2026.
While Jimmy Rolder has an exciting future and should see rotational snaps throughout the season, I believe Rodriguez will win the starting job out of training camp and hold onto it throughout the year as Detroit gradually eases the rookie into NFL action.
