Lions Put Jack Campbell on IR Before Dolphins Trip

Jack Campbell went down making a tackle on T.J. Hockenson on the first play of the fourth quarter last Sunday and did not get up. Six days later, the Detroit Lions placed their All-Pro linebacker on injured reserve with a neck injury, CBS Detroit reported, ahead of Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins.

The football part is simple: Detroit is 5-2 and heads to Miami to face a 1-6 team without the leader of its defense. The bigger part is that Campbell was carted off on a backboard and spent time in a hospital, and his team has played and practiced all week with him on its mind.

The Good News First

Campbell put out a statement on Wednesday. “I have full movement in my lower body, and I’m continuing to make progress with movement in my upper body,” he wrote. Dan Campbell said Friday that his linebacker continues to improve.

Campbell was a first-team All-Pro and Butkus Award winner in 2025 and signed a four-year extension in May. The IR move means he misses at least the next four games, and nobody in Detroit is talking about a return date.

Barnes Wears the Green Dot

Derrick Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez will handle the defensive calls, coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said this week, and the load might be shared. Both have worn the green dot before as Campbell’s backups. Joe Bachie will also have a role.

“This is for him, man,” Barnes said. “One of our keys to victory is preparing to play like No. 46.” The Lions also signed defensive back Nick Whiteside from the practice squad on Saturday and elevated edge rusher Anthony Lucas and running back Jabari Small.

What Miami Brings

Miami scores 16.7 points a game but ranks 11th in rushing at 123.3 yards a game and converts 55.6 percent of its third downs, per the Lions’ official site. That is a lot of run fits and third-down checks for a new signal caller to get right.

Detroit is thin on the back end too, with safety Kerby Joseph and cornerback D.J. Reed both out, and Amon-Ra St. Brown is questionable with a rib injury. Kickoff is 1 p.m. ET.

Smacktok pick lean: Lean higher on Derrick Barnes tackles at Miami. He is stepping into Campbell’s play-calling role against an offense that runs for 123.3 yards a game. Sheppard said the green dot might be shared with Rodriguez, so if Rodriguez takes the calls, keep the lean on Barnes tackles and skip any sack or turnover play.