Derrick Barnes Calls New DC More Aggressive Than Aaron Glenn

Derrick Barnes discusses the aggressive mindset of Kelvin Sheppard.

Detroit Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes (55). | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As the NFL preseason continues, the practices pick up in intensity. Wednesday was no different, as the Detroit Lions hosted the Miami Dolphins for their first joint practice of the season.

For most the starters, it was their first game action against an opponent, besides their teammates, since the 2024 season concluded.

For Derrick Barnes, it was an even longer wait than some of his other teammates, as his 2024 season ended during a week three contest against the Arizona Cardinals.

The healthy Lions defense was more than ready for their return to the field, decimating the Dolphins, to the tune of Aidan Hutchinson recording multiple sacks, Grant Stuard recording a sack, and Ian Kennelly intercepting Zach Wilson.

Barnes was not surprised by this defensive showcase. The depth and talent of this team stood tall today, with everyone doing their job.

“Y’all seen what happens when we have a healthy defense,” Barnes pointed out. “That’s really what I can say about it. I mean, it just feels good, from my perspective, to just look around, see a lot of dogs around you, and then we got depth. We got guys coming in there and fill those gaps and holes. It’s always next man up mentality, and I feel like there’s never a drop off. It’s all of us, as a collective group, on the defense. Not just the starters, but guys that are going in and doing their role and their job very well. I love it.”

One of the main storylines for this defense, outside of their return to health, is that the Lions replaced Aaron Glenn with Kelvin Sheppard, following Glenn’s departure to the New York Jets. The Lions’ aggressiveness stood out, and Barnes agreed that Sheppard is a more aggressive than his predecessor.

“I think that Shep (Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard) has an aggressive mentality, and we got people who can rush and who can pressure, go against tight ends, running backs, and get to the quarterback,” Barnes said. “When you have those types of guys that can do that, you use those tools. I think AG (Aaron Glenn) did a good job of that too, but I would say it’s a little more aggressive this year, and I love it.”

While it was not quite the full-fledged game action coming next month, Barnes called these live practices the closest in intensity to gameday. With the starters rarely seeing the field in the preseason, for some, this is the most intensity they will see until the season truly kicks off.

Barnes also called the aggression displayed at practice the standard. The defense has been shutting down their offensive counterparts most practices, and the refusal to be complacent is a big reason why.

“I love how aggressive we are, the mentality we have, just our standard,” Barnes emphasized. “Our standard is really high. From the outside looking in, it might look great, but we know there’s a lot of stuff to clean up and we need to clean those things up to get where we want to go.” 

He continued this thought later, with the linebacker stating that this group’s standards are so high, a three-and-out is the expectation.

“I think it’s just our standard to do that,” the linebacker said. “We should expect a three-and-out every time we step out on the field. Stop the offense, limiting points, things like that, that’s what we’re about. I’m super excited to see where we go this year.” 

New coordinator, more aggression

This defense has been hounding their opponents when the starters are on the field, and Barnes credited the way his team competes.

“It’s the way we compete. When you sit out and like, I’m not in, I’m watching everyone else on the field, it’s the way we compete, how we want to get better, how we learn from mistakes, I love it,” the Purdue product emphasized. “It’s just like I said, a bunch of dogs out there on the field on the defense. Hungry for the ball, hungry to make a play. We got 11 guys out there on the field together that want to make a play, but also doing their job. The sky’s the limit.” 

One of the hardest parts of challenging the Lions’ defense comes from the linebacking trio of Barnes, Alex Anzalone, and Jack Campbell.

“The offense never knows what we are doing,” Barnes said. “All three of us can do everything. We can pass rush, we can cover running backs and tight ends, we can run and hit. To have all three of us on the field at the same time, it gives the offense a different look, so that’s the biggest thing. We always know what each other’s thinking, always talking on and off the field ‘how can we make this and that better?’. It feels good, and that’s with the whole linebacker room. All that chemistry is great.”