Allen Park — Despite leaving early from Friday’s practice after hurting his leg, an injury that’ll reportedly keep him on the shelf for some time, Detroit Lions rookie linebacker Jimmy Rolder is expected to return to the field and contribute this upcoming season, defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said Sunday.
“As far as the mental and all that, he’ll still be engaged in meetings and all that with us,” Sheppard said. “So, I absolutely see him contributing at some point.”
The Lions selected Rolder in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft earlier this year, and he was competing for reps at the off-ball linebacker spot next to Jack Campbell before getting hurt. Rolder, 22, played four seasons at Michigan, including the 2025 campaign in which he started 11 games and finished with 73 tackles (seven for loss) and two sacks.
Sheppard has been impressed with Rolder’s ability to quickly grasp Detroit’s defense.
“Where we’ve taken this system now, with the adjustments, the checks, the things like that, especially at the linebacker position, it’s a lot,” Sheppard said. “He came in (during) the spring (and) he was like, ‘Whoa,’ kind of. But as soon as he showed up Day 1 (in training camp), you saw two things. He put work in this summer, he applied himself. And then he’s trusting the coaching.
“What (linebackers coach Shaun Dion Hamilton)’s asking him to do is a tick different than things that he did at Michigan, and he’s met that challenge. That kid was getting better every day, each and every day. Hopefully, you know, we have a tremendous athletic training room staff in there, and they’ll try to get him back to speed, as far as return to play, as soon as possible.”
On Saturday, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported Rolder’s injury wasn’t considered severe, though he will “miss some time.” In a seemingly connected move, the Lions signed veteran linebacker Devin White, who played for the Las Vegas Raiders last season and was a second-team All-Pro with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Lions’ Jimmy Rolder, despite injury, still expected to contribute in Year 1
Reporting by Richard Silva, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Richard Silva, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
