EDGE Defender Jabaal Sheard Fits Lions' Defense
As the Lions continue to sit on plenty of cap space, there remains speculation as to who Detroit general manager Bob Quinn could choose to sign with the remaining funds.
One player who has ties with head coach Matt Patricia and would be a nice scheme fit is free-agent pass rusher Jabaal Sheard.
Sheard, 31, was a 2011 second-round pick of the Cleveland Browns.
Standing in at 6-foot-3, 265 pounds, his dimensions are very similar to former Lions JACK linebacker Devon Kennard. But, Sheard is a little more athletic.
Having 103 starts in his nine-year NFL career, he would provide plenty of experience and versatility while the Lions bring their young players like Austin Bryant and Julian Okwara along.
As previously mentioned, Sheard does have some familiarity with the Lions' defensive system.
After four years in Cleveland, Sheard spent two seasons with the New England Patriots along with Patricia in 2015 and 2016.
In typical fashion, Sheard was used as a stand-up JACK linebacker while in New England.
According to Pro Football Focus, Sheard had his best graded season in 2015 under the now-Lions head coach’s tutelage.
Sack production has never been a strength of Sheard, but he has consistently delivered around five sacks a season.
Run defense -- which is very important to Patricia -- has often been the strengths of Sheard’s game.
For the last couple of years, Sheard has been with the Indianapolis Colts, where he was almost exclusively a down defensive end in Ted Monachino’s 4-3 scheme.
In 2017 -- Sheard’s first season with the Colts -- he was used in a way similar to how Patricia deployed him, in the form of a 3-4 alignment.
That season was the second-best graded season of Sheard’s career.
Sheard’s switch to defensive end seemed to mitigate his best assets.
Even if the Lions were to use Sheard as their stand-up linebacker, he is capable of playing with his hand in the dirt, too.
Now, with Sheard still on the open market, his price tag can’t be very high.
At the very least, he could be properly utilized to fit his style of play at the JACK backer position.
In the midst of a truncated offseason, it never hurts to add players with scheme familiarity.
He might not give the Lions a big boost in the pass-rush department, but that’s why Quinn used a third-round pick on Okwara.
On early downs, Sheard would be Kennard's replacement with the ability to stop the run -- the part of Okwara’s game which is currently subpar.
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