Trevor Nowaske isn’t a name many Lions fans are familiar with, but Detroit might have no choice but to lean on him if Derrick Barnes’ slump keeps spiraling.

Derrick Barnes endured another rough outing in Detroit’s painful Sunday night loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite being on the field for 64 snaps, the linebacker managed only three tackles and consistently looked a step behind. He struggled to contain Jalen Hurts, failed to set the edge on runs by Saquon Barkley, and generally made little impact — mirroring his disappointing performance the week before against Washington. According to Pro Football Focus, those two showings were his worst of the season.

Even though Barnes has already set a personal best with four sacks through ten games, he hasn’t developed into the difference-maker the Lions hoped he would become. His solid early-season production — 38 tackles, two tackles for loss, and two sacks in the first six games — has tapered off sharply in recent weeks, raising concerns across the fan base.

With Barnes no longer delivering meaningful play, Detroit may need to turn to linebacker Trevor Nowaske for a spark.

Why Trevor Nowaske Deserves a Bigger Role

Nowaske spent last season working primarily as a depth option on defense, and his performance was underwhelming. PFF graded him at 52.1, ranking him 110th out of 121 edge defenders, and his run-defense grade of 54.5 wasn’t much better. This year, he has mostly been a special-teams contributor and sits third on the weakside linebacker depth chart behind Alex Anzalone and Malcolm Rodriguez, who recently returned from injury.

Before last week, Nowaske had logged just 36 defensive snaps across ten games and hadn’t seen the field on defense since Week 6. Still, in that limited action, he found ways to make an impact: two tackles, three pressures, and a sack.

Against Philadelphia, Nowaske finally got a brief defensive opportunity — only four snaps — but he immediately delivered. He recorded two tackles, including a big stop for a loss on a 3rd-and-1 that forced an Eagles punt early in the game. Despite playing 59 fewer snaps than Barnes, he was noticeably more effective and productive than Detroit’s struggling starter has been in the past two weeks.

With Nowaske continuing to flash in small doses, Detroit needs to expand his role. He doesn’t need to take on a full workload right away, but giving him around 10 defensive snaps per game would be a logical start. That would require trimming the playing time of both Barnes and Grant Stuard, neither of whom has stood out against the run.

Because Nowaske has already shown signs of being a reliable run defender, the Lions should consider deploying him in early-down or short-yardage scenarios to evaluate whether he can consistently contribute. That controlled increase in snaps would allow the coaching staff to judge whether his impact can translate over a larger sample.

If Nowaske keeps performing in these situations, Detroit may have to seriously consider shifting a portion — or even a majority — of Barnes’ snaps to the young linebacker. With Barnes mired in a slump and the Lions fighting to regain momentum in the NFC North race, Nowaske has earned the opportunity to show he can be more than just depth.