Jalen Reeves-Maybin wasn't going to be "lulled to sleep." He hadn't played a role on defense all season, but his linebackers coach and former teammate Kelvin Sheppard is all about staying ready. So when the Lions thrust him into action against the Saints two weeks ago, Reeves-Maybin seized the moment. He did it again last week against the Bears, with more moments in front of him.
"The opportunity came up the last couple weeks and I just try to make the play whenever I’m out there," Reeves-Maybin said Tuesday. "Limited snaps, so just trying to be impactful in the game."
With starting linebacker Alex Anzalone sidelined against the Saints, Reeves-Maybin, a special teams ace who had played seven defensive snaps in the first season of his second stint with the Lions, took 20 defensive snaps in stride. He had a QB hit for a defense desperate for more of a pass rush, two tackles and he shut down a pair of passes in coverage. He was also named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his typically stout work as a gunner.
Anzalone returned from his thumb injury last week, but not so much at the expense of Reeves-Maybin. The Lions still got him on the field, just as Dan Campbell said they would. He didn't have quite the same workload, but he made even more of an impact with a sack and a batted pass, both on third down, in just 11 defensive snaps. Reeves-Maybin was Detroit's best player on defense -- maybe best player, period -- in an otherwise ugly loss to Chicago.
"It’s just a natural thing of where my skillset is. I think I can help the team on third downs and the coaches are seeing that and they’ve put me in some good positions to make plays," he said. "Hopefully I can keep going out there whenever my number’s called and making those plays."
Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp can't say enough good things about Reeves-Maybin, a seven-year vet who spent his first five seasons in Detroit after being drafted by the former regime. The current regime got to coach him for a year before Reeves-Maybin signed as a free agent with the Texans, which is why they brought him back. He is the embodiment of a team player.
"When he left, we thought he was a great player and disappointed to see him go, but that’s a part of the business," said Fipp. "And then obviously, when we had a chance to get him back, it was incredible."
It says a lot about Reeves-Maybin that he stayed alert on defense this season, even as he was getting almost all of his work on special teams. He acknowledged there's a risk that "you can get lulled to sleep, like, I haven’t played defense in eight weeks or, this play hasn’t come up since Week 2."
"And that’s when you get taken advantage of because some stuff always pops up," he said. "It’s a tough league and everyone’s looking for someone to slip up. So like I said, when your number’s called, whether that’s defense, special teams or just a certain play, you gotta be ready to execute."
It says even more about Reeves-Maybin that he refused to slip on special teams as he earned more snaps on defense. It would only be natural to prioritize the more glamorous role.
"There’s a human element to the whole game and how much you’re playing," said Fipp. "Everybody wants to be a defensive player, an offensive player. I mean, when you’re a kid, you dream of doing that, and special teams fits somewhere in there. And I think sometimes when guys start playing more defense, they feel like, ‘Well, I’ve got a built-in excuse of why I might not have been as good on special teams.'
"He obviously took the opposite approach, which I think the great players do. I always say, ‘Competitors compete.’"
Reeves-Maybin figures to see more defensive snaps Saturday as the Lions take on Russell Wilson and the Broncos. His agility should be an asset against one of the more elusive quarterbacks in the NFL. Wilson, who's enjoying a bounceback season in Denver under Sean Payton, loves to extend plays with his legs and make throws downfield. Reeves-Maybin can help snuff them out, or cover Wilson's options underneath.
"It’s definitely tough," he said. "You might cover the route but the play’s not over, you gotta be ready for second and third moves. Especially with their team, they have a good run game, so as a linebacker, you’re already going to be juiced up trying to stop the run, now you gotta bail out for play action, now you gotta worry about him running. So it’s definitely a challenge, but I think we’ll be prepared for it."
For all his individual success, the best part of this season for Reeves-Maybin is the chance to make the playoffs. He's never been there in his career. In fact, he's played on just one winning team, the 2017 Lions who finished 9-7. Otherwise, Reeves-Maybin has toiled in anonymity on last-place teams. He went 3-13-1 with the Lions in 2021, then 3-13-1 with the Texans in 2022. Now he's getting some shine on a first-place team that's headed for its first home playoff game in 30 years.
"It’s definitely dope," he said. "I made this joke with some of my friends, but it keeps your football spirit high. You know you’re playing for something. I’ve always been like, if I get an opportunity on Sunday, it’s time to play, so I don’t try to make too much of it. But it definitely keeps you prepared you when you know there’s something at the end of the season that you’re fighting for, so I’m just keeping that in mind every day."
And in case he forgets it, Reeves-Maybin has his seven-year-old daughter to remind him.
"It’s definitely a little bit more expectation and pressure," he said. "Most of the pressure probably comes from my daughter, who’s ready to go to the playoffs and she brings it up to me. She has really, really high hopes, so sometimes I gotta tell her, ‘We just gotta play the game this Sunday, let’s not worry about later down the road.’ But she’s enjoying it."
So is her dad, who's 28 and seizing his moment in the NFL.
"I just try to make the most of my situations and try to be a good teammate, whatever role that is for the team," said Reeves-Maybin, "I don’t really care how many snaps. I just like playing and being a part of the team."