Lions stuck with ‘late bloomer’ LB who helped punch their ticket to NFC title game

DETROIT — The Detroit Lions always preached Derrick Barnes was coming.

They stuck with that message after two up-and-down seasons to start his career. And then there he was, in the starting lineup to start Year 3 even after the team extended team captain Alex Anzalone and spent a first-round pick on linebacker Jack Campbell.

Barnes enjoyed the best season of his young career this season, no doubt. And while there were ups and downs along the way, the linebacker etched his name into Detroit’s history books with his game-clinching interception in the divisional round.

The third-year linebacker went up and made the big-time pick to end Tampa Bay’s final chance, punching Detroit’s ticket to the NFC title game in the process.

The Buccaneers took over down 31-23 after the two-minute warning, with one timeout left. But on second-and-5, Baker Mayfield went back to the well, trying to hit tight end Cade Otton over the middle of the field.

Barnes made the read, jumped the route and came down with the ball as Ford Field went ballistic in celebration.

“It’s crazy. Right before that play, I was like, ‘I need to make a play to help my team,;” Barnes told MLive in the locker room. “I missed some critical tackles this game. Coaches didn’t get down on me. Just picked up the whole time by my peers — Alex, JRM, Jack, Malcolm, Pitt. Those guys in those room picked me up tonight, and they believed in me and what I could do.

“I definitely just wanted to make up for it, the stuff I had in the beginning of the game. It’s amazing. And I just give all glory to God and glory to my teammates for believing in me, and the coaches believing in me. It’s crazy, especially to do that and now we going to the NFC championship. It’s wild. I can’t take all the credit, man. Just great coaching and coach allowed me to be in the right spot.”

Barnes said he remembers making the read and saying to himself, “there’s no way I’m about to drop this.” He made the play, ran to the end zone and extended his arms in the direction of his two-week-old son in the crowd for the first time.

“What the hell just happened? Did I just sew this game? First career interception? My son’s first game, a lot of emotions going through,” Barnes said of the moment. “I can’t really explain it. It’s amazing.”

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And Dan Campbell called Barnes a “late bloomer” after the game, and that’s a fair assessment.

Barnes saw a ton of reps as the Lions rebuilt their roster. And the former Purdue standout felt the heat entering this year. But he wowed in camp, earning a starting spot and playing a key role every step of the way.

The linebacker was taken in the first draft with Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes running the show for the Lions. And that connection and patience in a developing player again paid off for this history-making regime.

“He’s one of our guys that we drafted in that first year here,” Campbell said. “He was a later bloomer guy, you know. It took him a little bit and then he really came on this season. And he’s playing at a high level. Just to see him, one of the biggest areas he’s grown at, not only just being able to — his level of play of defense. But his psyche. Something bad happens, something doesn’t quite go the way you want it to, man, he’s able to bounce back in a big way.

“It doesn’t affect him negatively. He just keeps going. That’s where I feel the most growth. And it’s why he’s playing at a high level. But that was a — What a huge play.”

From the outside looking in, it was easy to write off Barnes, or at least see this year as his last chance to stick Pro Football Focus graded Barnes as the third-worst linebacker in football during his rookie season back in 2021. And he only moved up to 53rd at his position in Year 2.

But that’s changed this year, and he’s continued to show growth across the board. Heck, it’s important to remember he was playing defensive end while still in college. He learned the linebacker position, and then went through the very public growing pains.

Barnes was named the team’s player of the game while making the play of the game. And now, he and the Lions are one win from playing for the Super Bowl.

“It’s a dream come true to me,” Barnes said. “You see where we started at three years ago with Dan. Everybody believed in Dan, what he was going to build, what he had an eye for, he’s an amazing coach, man. The guys he brought in — AG, Ben, Brad, all those guys, Shep my linebackers coach. It’s crazy.

“They all had the vision, and we did too, that’s why we push each other each and every week and each and every day because we know the potential that we have. We don’t accept nothing less. There always has to be a sense of urgency with us. That showed today. It’s the playoffs, it’s going to be a dogfight. It’s going to be ups and downs. It’s going to be missed tackles. But when you can set that aside and go out and help your team win, it’s amazing. It’s a great feeling. Like I said, I can’t thank myself, I have to thank my teammates.”