Detroit Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez has primarily been a special teams player this season, but he might be on the field for all three phases of the game much more in the future after he was an unlikely pass-catcher during his team's loss to the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving.
"He's gonna have to take on a bigger load," Lions head coach Dan Campbell told reporters. "He plays a little bit on defense and we're gonna need him more on offense, too. So we're gonna stretch him out a little bit here, but he can handle it. He's got hands, too, you saw that, can flip his hips. He's tough, he's got leverage. He's smart. So it's pretty impressive."
Rodriguez caught the first pass of his career during that game against Green Bay and will apparently be heavily featured during the upcoming contest against the New Orleans Saints.
NFL @NFL.<a href="">@Lions</a> LB Malcolm Rodriguez has been playing a bit of fullback...<br><br>Look at the catch he just made. 👀<br><br>📺: <a href="">#GBvsDET</a> on FOX<br>📱: Stream on <a href="">#NFLPlus</a> <a href=""> <a href="">
Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk noted he has played 187 special teams plays, 66 defensive snaps and 20 offensive snaps this season. According to Pro Football Reference, the last time he played more than seven percent of the defensive snaps was in Week 4 against Green Bay.
That is a change from last year when he was a starting linebacker who tallied 87 tackles.
However, linebacker Alex Anzalone is injured on the defensive side and Rodriguez proved he can do more than block when the Lions have the ball. So expect to see plenty of him as the team looks to bounce back from its most recent loss.
