The Detroit Lions linebacker room just got deeper. They announced the signing of veteran linebacker Troy Reeder. Reeder has 38 career starts over seven seasons, giving them a welcome addition to the depth chart.
Detroit Lions Sign Veteran Linebacker Troy Reeder
GettyTroy Reeder.
Reeder was a UDFA back in 2019 when he started his career with the Los Angeles Rams. Despite going undrafted, he started in eight games during his rookie season and logged 58 total tackles.
He started in seven games the following season and logged 81 tackles along with three sacks and five tackles for loss. His third year saw his most starts, with 10. He also had 91 tackles, two sacks, and six tackles for loss.
The Rams liked having him as a starter but did not see a long-term future with him, so they did not extend him. He followed his defensive coordinator, Brandon Staley, to the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022, but did not earn a starting job.
So, Reeder moved back to the Rams after just one season on the Chargers. He started in six games in both 2023 and 2024. However, he suffered a hamstring injury to close his 2024 season and never won the starting job back.
The Rams retained him in 2025, but he only started in one game and recorded 25 tackles. So, the team might not have signed a player with legitimate starting capabilities. However, he has shown that he can start in a pinch.
Reeder also has 1,868 special teams snaps. He played 394 snaps for the Rams’ special teams last year and was a five-phase player. So, the odds of him sticking around are high due to his high floor.
Reeder Can Make the Lions Roster in 2026
The Lions likely have four linebackers ahead of Reeder. From there, he could find his way onto the team by winning the fifth spot. Jack Campbell just signed a big extension and will be starting. Detroit also likes Derrick Barnes due to his versatility and ability to come off of the edge as well as play off the ball.
Malcolm Rodriguez was banged up last year, and the team might have signed Reeder for some insurance here. Still, they also drafted Jimmy Rolder in the fourth round. That is not such a high pick that the team needs to start him, but he will get chances ahead of Reeder.
Still, after that, the roster opens up. Trevor Nowaske might have an inside track to making the roster as the Barnes backup. He rushes off of the edge more than he plays linebacker, but he does bring special teams value.
So, if Nowaske will backup Barnes, and Rolder will backup Rodriguez, Reeder will compete to backup Campbell. The main name to compete with Reeder for this spot will be free agent signing Damone Clark. Clark is entering his fifth NFL season and has 26 starts. So, he is a bit younger than Reeder with a similar resume otherwise.
Between the two, they should have a quality backup. The question will be whether Reeder can unseat Clark or not.
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