The Lions and Derrick Barnes agreed to a three-year contract extension this offseason that will keep the fifth-year linebacker in Detroit through the 2027 season.

It turns out defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard told general manager Brad Holmes this offseason before free agency that Barnes was a player Sheppard did not want to lose.

"I told him, 'That's a player I have to have,'" Sheppard said this week of Barnes. "I believe this kid can play four, five spots on the football field and do it at a high level. He can play all three stack backer spots, he can play defensive end. So when you're able to have a player like that, you see them out in the apex in 11-person personnel - which is really a nickel spot.

"So when you have a player like that, it allows you that ability to present th

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