On Wednesday, the Detroit Lions announced that they have signed linebacker Damone Clark, a young, high-potential linebacker with ties to defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard. Terms of the deal were not disclosed at the time of this article’s publication.
Origin story
Born in Louisiana, Clark stayed home and attended LSU from 2018 through 2021. During his time at LSU, Clark won a National Championship in 2019-20, connected with Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard (who was LSU’s Director of player development at the time), and donned the famous No. 18 jersey during his final two seasons in Baton Rouge. LSU’s No. 18 is given to the player on the team who best represents elite leadership, high character, and mental toughness (Lions Mekhi Wingo was honored with this jersey number in 2023).
“No. 18 means a lot to me,” Clark said at his presser with the Lions on Wednesday. “It’s an honor to be able to represent the No. 18 with the guys that wore it before me. It exemplifies the standard of LSU both on and off the field. That’s what I live by.”
Following his senior season, Clark sparkled during the pre-NFL Draft evaluation process. He was invited to the Senior Bowl and was named his team’s starting MIKE linebacker. At the NFL Combine, Clark earned the top spot among my linebacker “winners,” posting a RAS score of 9.86, excelling in on-field drills, and prompting me to gush over his potential fit with the Lions, as one of my favorite players in that draft cycle.
Advertisement
Unfortunately, medical tests at the Combine revealed that Clark was playing with a spinal injury that required “spinal fusion surgery,” and he was projected to miss his entire rookie season. And just like that, his draft stock plummeted, shifting from a Day 2 pick all the way down to the middle of Day 3.
The Dallas Cowboys ended his fall in the draft, selecting him in the fifth round with the No. 176 pick in the draft. Despite the grim diagnosis, Clark beat the odds and was able to return to game action over the final 10 games of 2022, and even started five. The following season, Clark started all 17 games for the Cowboys, registering 109 tackles on the season. In 2024, Clark was surpassed on the depth chart by DeMarvion Overshown, leading to only two spot starts. Last season, Clark started two of the Cowboys’ first three games, but was a surprising mid-November release, and was quickly claimed by the Texans.
In Houston for the back half of last season, Clark saw his role on defense decline, while his special teams’ role expanded. Clark would play 175 of his 313 special teams snaps in Houston, earning an impressive 78.7 special teams grade from PFF.
“My role last year, it decreased on the defensive side, but it increased on the special teams side, and that’s OK,” Clark explained. “You have to make the most of every opportunity, and you got to put that at the forefront of your mind.”
Advertisement
Relationship with Sheppard
2020 was a pivotal season for Clark. Not only was LSU coming off a National Championship, but he was given a leadership role and was an uncontested starter at MIKE. At the same time, Sheppard accepted a job in player development at LSU, and as a former MIKE for the Tigers himself, there was a natural connection between the two individuals.
“He was a guy that would give us coaching points,” Clark said of Sheppard’s time at LSU. “He wasn’t the linebacker coach, but he still went outside of his job, helping the linebackers in whatever way that he could.”
Fast forward a year, and Clark is invited to the Senior Bowl. In a fun twist of fate, he is assigned to the team coached by Dan Campbell’s Lions, with Sheppard coaching the linebackers.
Advertisement
“Damone Clark, that’s like my little brother,” Sheppard told Jeff Risdon on the Detroit Lions Podcast at the Senior Bowl. “That’s the guy that I mentored all last year. You talk full circle. When he found out he was playing on our team, he was beyond ecstatic.”
Clark earned a starting MIKE role at the Senior Bowl, illustrating the ability to take coaching points from Sheppard and apply them quickly. And now that he is back with Sheppard once again, he provides the Lions with a fifth-year linebacker with the upside to expand his game once again under his mentor, but also understands that nothing will be handed to him.
“I’m blessed just to be able to be in this position to be able to come here and be coached by Shep,” Clark continued. “Because I know how he is outside of ball, and it ain’t no different; he’s always going to shoot straight, to you. It doesn’t matter if I know Shep; at the end of the day, I need to do what I need to do.
“There’s no ‘homeboys’ in this business. You need to come in here, put your head down, and go to work.”
Advertisement
Expected role in 2026
While Clark is a natural MIKE, he certainly has the athleticism and instincts to play other positions in the Lions’ defense. When asked about which position he might play in Detroit, Clark implied that he didn’t want to be limited to one label.
“Ball is ball at the end of the day,” Clark told the Lions media. “Trust your preparation, listen to your coaches, trust your coach’s preparation, and just go out there and do it. So, I don’t look at it like a MIKE spot, WILL, SAM—I don’t look at it like that. I look at it like football is football: the more you can do, the better. And the better you do, the more you play.”
With the Lions returning four of their top five linebackers—Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez, and Trevor Nowaske—Clark will have to work his way up the depth chart through some very experienced competition. While he’ll be given a shot to start, he’s still in a position of having to make up the learning curve, despite his familiarity with Sheppard.
Advertisement
While Clark acclimates to the Lions, look for him to start training camp as a reserve on defense, but be asked to take on a starting role on special teams. Clark has experience working in every phase of special teams and has earned a PFF special teams grade of at least 72.4 in three of his four seasons, including a 78.7 grade last season.
“Anything to help my team get the victory,” Clark said of his willingness to contribute on special teams.
Free agency impact
With four returning linebackers and Clark in the fold, the Lions may have just one projected linebacker opening available on their 53-man roster—though they may add a few more players and allow them to compete for the final spot.
Advertisement
The Lions could elect to target another experienced special teams veteran in free agency, or maybe return a player like Zach Cunningham or Ezekiel Turner, but they’ll also likely aim to draft at least one linebacker, and potentially pick up additional prospects in the undrafted market.
NFL draft impact
Last season, the Lions used more three-linebacker sets than any other NFL team. If they want to continue that schematic trend, they may target a rookie linebacker capable of challenging for a starting role in this year’s draft.
Heading into the draft, Campbell and Barnes appear headed for two of the starting three spots, and the trio of Rodriguez, Nowaske, and Clark gives the Lions options at WILL or SAM. However, Campbell may be the only one in the group with any contractual stability beyond this season, as most expect the Lions to pick up his fifth-year option and extend his contract. Barnes will see his responsibilities increase this season, but if he fails to meet those higher expectations, the Lions could opt out of his contract before his $6.15 million roster bonus kicks in in 2027. As for the depth trio, all three were signed to one-year contracts this offseason, giving them little in the way of guarantees beyond this season.
Advertisement
With these contract situations looming, the Lions may prioritize adding a starting-caliber linebacker in the draft, potentially as early as the second round.
Fortunately, this is a very deep linebacker class, and there could be as many as six different starter-level linebackers available to choose from when the Lions are on the clock at pick no. 50. Jake Golday (Cincinnati), Jacob Rodriguez (Texas Tech), and Anthony Hill (Texas) all have traditional starting linebacker skill sets, while a cover specialist like Kyle Louis (Pittsburgh) would help the Lions modernize their defense. If the Lions wait until Day 3 to add a linebacker, Bryce Boettcher (Oregon) and Jimmy Rolder (Michigan) could be an option early, while Taurean York (Texas A&M) and Karson Sharar (Iowa) have the special teams skills to find the field immediately.
You can keep track of the Lions’ roster moves and the latest NFL free agency news with our 2026 tracker, our contract tracker, and our rumor tracker.
Read the full article here
