The Detroit Lions Hybrid Base Package
Unpacking the Lions' Defensive Philosophy and How Hybrid Players Drive Their Unique Approach
No one played more ‘base’ defensive snaps (44%) than the Detroit Lions in 2024. The LA Rams were second at 36%. Both defenses couldn’t be more different.
The Rams used their ‘Cheetah’ or Dime package, with five defensive linemen and six defensive backs, while the Lions still played Nickel (4-2-5) on over 50% of their snaps, but were 29th overall in usage. Only three other teams—the Packers, Panthers, and Colts—played over 30% of their snaps in their base defense.
Newly appointed defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard has been with the Lions since he was hired as the outside linebackers (edges) coach in 2021 under current head coach Dan Campbell. Sheppard will oversee the continued development of the Lions’ defense as Aaron Glenn moves on to New York to take over the Jets. The roster remains mostly the same as last season, with the additions of a healthy Aidan Hutchinson back in the lineup and former Jets cornerback DJ Reed replacing Carlton Davis, who left for the Patriots.
Nickel (five DBs) has been the primary defense in the NFL for over a decade, used in about 67% of plays last season. In the previous year, offenses increased their focus on the run game. For several years now, 12 personnel has seen a rise in usage. One way to counter bigger offensive packages is to expand what a defense can do in Base.
To do that, a defense needs hybrid players that can deal with Spread concepts (space) even though the defense is playing in base personnel. During this past offseason, the Lions announced that star Nickel, Brian Branch, would move to Safety full-time. The shift might have been puzzling outside of the organization, but Detroit made the move to keep Branch on the field.
Play calling in the NFL is highly curated, and there is only a limited amount of time to practice and install. The move to place Branch full-time at Safety is the same reason the Ravens moved Kyle Hamilton back and the Chiefs moved Trent McDuffie outside: play your best eleven all the time.
The move to Deep Safety for Branch also aligned with the evolution of the Lions’ scheme. This unit couldn’t play man coverage two years ago, even though Glenn wanted to at volume. In 2023, Glenn began to pivot to more zone, primarily adding an element of Quarters into their game plans. It even shocked the Chiefs in Week 1 (link below).
Besides Branch moving back to Safety, the Lions brought in Carlton Davis from the Buccaneers and selected Terion Arnold in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Glenn now had three DBs who could play man at volume and the perfect ball-hawking Post Safety in Kirby Joseph. Detroit was second in Cover 1 usage behind the Browns (35.2%) and eighth in Quarters usage last season.
With more offenses utilizing 12 and 21 personnel, the Lions could use their three man-dominant DBs to handle the two primary receivers and anybody who lined up at slot with Branch, albeit a true Slot WR or a Flex TE. Though Derrick Barnes was hurt three games into the season, Detroit re-signed him on a three-year contract extension this offseason. The hybrid off-ball LB was used as a Sam/Ted LB aligned to the TE as an Edge, or could mirror the RB in man coverage.
Glenn evolved the Detroit defense by implementing schematic fluidity. What the Lions ran in Base could be transferred to Nickel and vice versa. For Detroit, that was their split-field or Quarters coverage components and the ability to run odd and even fronts seamlessly.
As complex zone schemes are added in, the personnel package must handle not only the mental load but also the ability to run the coverage. Hybrid players like Branch and Barnes, and later Jack Campbell and Malcolm Rodriguez, were critical to the Lions' success all year. Cover 1, or ‘cat coverage,’ is easy: ‘Can my players match up with yours?’ In 2024, Glenn felt they were.
Throughout the season, the Lions’ Base defense illustrated that it wasn’t a limited package. Glenn could run most of the split-field coverages found in his sub-packages in Base. He even utilized common Spread defensive elements like the Tite Front, even though the Lions’ base 4-3 was on the field. 2024 also serves as a foundation for what the Jets’ defense might look like this upcoming season.
Though the Lions are a 4-3 base, that doesn’t mean they align in an even front in the traditional sense. Utilizing their Sam LB as a fifth D-lineman, Detroit can seamlessly transition from odd and even spacing, which can be difficult on opposing offensive coordinators because they don’t know how to attack the defense’s structure.
The move also allows the Lions to drop a defender into coverage or add him to the rush. In most of these clips, Detroit is aligned as though it is a 3-4 defense, even if there is technically a 4-3 package on the field.
Let’s dive into the tape!
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