The Detroit Lions return 10 starters on defense with the lone expected new starter being free-agent cornerback D.J. Reed.

It’s an experienced group returning for new defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard that includes Pro Bowl edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson and the best safety duo in the NFL in Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch.

Hutchinson returning to his MVP-caliber form early in the season will be huge for this defense. It will also be big if Marcus Davenport can stay healthy opposite Hutchinson at the other edge spot. They’ll also need cornerback Terrion Arnold to take a step forward in his second year.

Another key return for Sheppard’s defense this fall will be Derrick Barnes in the SAM linebacker role. That’s such a unique position in Detroit’s defense with what they ask that player to do – someone who can rush the passer on the line of scrimmage, set a hard edge in the run game and be able to play in space and cover. It takes a unique skillset to be able to do all three well in this league.

“The role that SAM linebacker has, you see it on the game film, he’s stacked off the ball, he’s on the end of the line of scrimmage, he’s walked out in the slot. That’s a lot of different jobs for one player to handle,” senior defensive assistant and outside linebackers coach David Corrao said when talking to media earlier this offseason.

Unfortunately, a knee injury suffered Week 3 in Arizona on a low block required surgery and ended Barnes’ 2024 season early. The Lions still signed Barnes to a three-year extension in March because of his unique skillset to play stacked linebacker, step up and rush the passer.

He was coming off a 2023 season where he made 13 starts and produced 81 tackles (42 solo), five tackles for loss, five quarterback hits, a sack and a forced fumble. After he left the lineup Week 4 last year, it was hard for Detroit to find a backup that could fill the role with the same effectiveness and versatility as Barnes.

“It’s a very unique position to play, so therefore in my opinion, that’s a hard position for us to fill with one (backup) player,” Corrao said of the loss of Barnes last season. “The idea that you’re going to have a player as unique as Derrick Barnes is with his ability on the edge, his ability to pressure from the middle, his ability to drop in coverage.

“The idea that you would have a second player with that level of skillset that’s sitting behind somebody on the depth chart I don’t see how realistic that is. Somebody with that level of skillset you’re going to want on the field as much as you can.”

Barnes has improved the coverage part of his game the most since entering the NFL in 2021 as part of the current regime’s first NFL Draft class as a fourth-round pick. He hasn’t allowed a touchdown in coverage since his rookie season, and no one will forget the interception in the Divisional Round playoff win over Tampa Bay to seal that contest and send Detroit to the NFC Championship Game in 2023. The Lions were expecting a big season from Barnes last season before the injury.

“It makes me feel good that despite my injury and that situation I feel like (the team) still has a lot of faith in me to be the player they know I can be,” Barnes said in March after signing his three-year extension.

“The fact that they had that faith in me to pay me that amount of money coming off the injury is emotional because I know a lot of people don’t get this opportunity especially coming off knee injuries. The fact that Dan (Campbell) and them put me in a position to be able to come out and have confidence in me means the world to me.”

Part of that faith is rooted in the team watching how Barnes attacked rehab last year. He stuck around the facility, and instead of sulking, he went to work off the field to try to become a better student of the game.

“Over the years D. Barnes has progressed year in, year in, year in and year in,” linebackers coach Shaun Dion Hamilton said. “Ok, now that injury set him down and allowed him to sit back and be even more of a student of the game. Fast forward to now. It’s Year 5 now, and you watch the game and maybe things he didn’t see, he’s seeing it because he’s had that time and maximized it.

“He wasn’t just sitting on the couch and feeling sorry for himself. He’s had a chance to really mature, and I think this year is going to be a good season for him, and he’s going to take his game to the next level. It’s a credit to him for being a student of the game and maximizing the time when he wasn’t able to be on the field.”

Barnes took part in Detroit’s offseason training program this spring and will be a full participant come the start of training camp in July. It can’t be overstated how important that is for this defense as they continue implementing Sheppard’s vision.

As the Lions found out last year after Barnes went down, it takes a unique player to fill that SAM role in their defense and they missed his versatility. Barnes has a new contract and a deep appreciation for how he’s viewed as a player in Detroit. If Hamilton is right and Barnes is set to take his game to another level, that will be huge for this defense.