And he was back out there in the mix against the Chicago Bears this past weekend. Reeves-Maybin played only 11 snaps in the loss. But he added a sack and another pass breakup, with each of those stops coming on third down. Pro Football Focus recognized Reeves-Maybin as the team’s top defender — without adding snap-share qualifications — for his work in Chicago.
“It’s not shocking at all. He’s a great player,” Anzalone said on Tuesday. “And I hate — I don’t hate it — but I probably dislike it when people say, ‘Oh, he’s a great ballplayer.’ But I think he’s a great linebacker in the NFL. And I think that he’s more than serviceable to be a starter.
“Yeah, he’s just — When he goes in, he makes plays, and that’s kinda what he does.”
And Lions fans have been here before with Reeves-Maybin. He’s developed into one of the league’s top special teams players, who has shown something more whenever getting an increased chance on defense.
“The opportunity came up the last couple of weeks, and I just try and go out there and make a play whenever I’m out there, limited snaps, though, just trying to be impactful on the game,” Reeves-Maybin said of this two-game stretch. “It’s kinda like the standard of the linebacker room. It starts with Alex and trickles down to everyone else.
“I just try to make the most of my situation. Whatever that is, I try to be a good teammate, whatever role that is for the team. I don’t really care like how many snaps. I just like playing (and) being part of the team.”
Reeves-Maybin flashed in 2019 with the Lions after getting increased defensive looks. Then, in Campbell’s first year running the show, he started a career-high 11 games at linebacker. Reeves-Maybin finished third on the team with 82 tackles that season, adding four tackles for loss and two forced fumbles with four pass breakups before departing for Houston.
The 28-year-old hasn’t missed a beat in his return to Detroit. He’s tied for second in the league with 11 special teams tackles and is again staring down the likelihood of more defensive reps.
It’ll be interesting how Aaron Glenn and Co. decipher those reps, with Anzalone back in the lineup and Jack Campbell improving while Derrick Barnes continues to flash his own growth.
But Reeves-Maybin has made a case that he should see more chances, especially on third down, for a team facing so many defensive questions while lacking potential answers.
For now, he’s focused on doing what he’s been doing — making plays when his number is called.
“I think it’s just kind of a natural thing where my skillset is (on third down),” Reeves-Maybin said. “I think I help the team on third downs, and the coaches have seen that. They’ve put me in some good positions to make plays. Hopefully, I can just keep going out there when my number is called and making those plays.
“I try to just be even like, my number is called, I’ll be ready. I don’t think more of it than that. I just try to be the same guy every day.”
