Lions to designate LB Malcolm Rodriguez to return
The Lions are designating linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez to return to practice, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
Rodriguez, 26, started the regular season the physically unable to perform list as he worked his way back from an ACL tear suffered on Thanksgiving last year. Detroit is expecting the fourth-year linebacker to take his full 21-day practice window and make his 2025 debut on Sunday Night Foootball in Week 11, per Schultz. That is a primetime matchup with the Eagles that could be crucial that could be crucial in determining NFC playoff seeding come January.
The 2022 sixth-round pick quickly became a fan favorite on “Hard Knocks,” during his first training camp and started next to Alex Anzalone as a rookie. Rodriguez took a back seat to Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes in 2023 and was relegated to special teams duties for much of the year. He returned to a starting role last year after Barnes’ season-ending knee injury in September,
Barnes is back to full strength now, so Rodriguez’s role upon his return will likely be similar to 2023. The Lions won’t want to push him coming off a major knee injury, and it may not be wise for him to risk his health in a contract year.
Rodriguez is in the last year of his rookie deal, and a Lions cap table that has gotten more and more expensive may not have room for another off-ball linebacker. Detroit didn’t extend Anzalone before the season, as he desired, but they did re-sign Barnes in the offseason and will have to put aside money for Campbell, who has grown into one of the best linebackers in the league.
Rodriguez will have three weeks to practice with the team before he must be activated to the 53-man roster or revert to season-ending injured reserve.
Bo Nix and Troy Franklin Are Quietly Fueling the Broncos Into Super Bowl Contenders
Former Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix and wide receiver Troy Franklin had a day to remember in the Denver Broncos 44-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys. The Broncos offense was too much for the Cowboys and the former Ducks were a big reason why.
Bo Nix, Troy Franklin Lead Broncos to Win
Bo Nix was 16/29 passing for 247 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception in the win over the Cowboys to improve Denver’s record to 6-2 on the season. For the season, he has thrown for 1,803 yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions.
Nix’s favorite target in the game was his college teammate, Troy Franklin.
Franklin had a team high six receptions for 89 yards and two touchdowns. His longest touchdown was in the first quarter on a 25-yard touchdown toss from Nix. For the season, Franklin has 33 receptions for 358 yards and four touchdowns.
It was an impressive showing from the Broncos offense, who had 426 total yards en route to their 44 points scored.
From Eugene to Denver
Bo Nix had a five-year collegiate career that stretched from 2019 through 2023. Nix’s two most productive seasons were in 2022 and 2023, his only two seasons with the Ducks. In those years, Nix threw for 8,101 yards and 74 touchdowns. In 2023, Nix finished third in Heisman trophy voting and helped lead the Ducks to a 12-win season that resulted in a Fiesta Bowl victory.
The following April, Nix was selected No. 12 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. Many skeptics believed that this was a reach to take Nix that high, but he is proving those doubters wrong.
Troy Franklin played with the Oregon Ducks from 2021 through 2023. He totaled 2,483 receiving yards and 25 receiving touchdowns.
Franklin’s best season was in 2023, with Nix as his quarterback. Franklin had 1,383 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns. He was a second-team all-American and was selected in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Broncos.
Nix, Broncos in First Place in AFC West With Eye On Super Bowl
After eight weeks of the 2025 NFL season, the Denver Broncos are in first place in the AFC West division with their 6-2 mark. Denver got off to a slow 1-2 start, but has rattled off five straight wins since. This is a division that has been dominated by the Kansas City Chiefs in recent years, with Kansas City winning the division crown nine straight times. The Chiefs are currently 4-3.
The Broncos for the time being have the slight edge in the standings over both the Chargers and Chiefs. There is still a lot of season left and for Denver to win the west, they will have to show they can beat the Chiefs. They have two games against them left on their schedule.
it cannot be denied that Denver has a great shot to make noise in the NFL Playoffs this season. Could this be the season the Broncos get back to the Super Bowl? The stars are aligning for the young team and leading the division is no small feat.
Denver coach Sean Payton feels like this Broncos team can hoist the Lombardi Trophy this season. Before the 2025 NFL season began, Payton predicted that Nix will be a top four or five quarterback in the league the next two years.
“The short-term goal is winning the division,” Payton told Yahoo. “But this is a team capable of winning the Super Bowl. I’ve coached six teams that I thought could win the Super Bowl. Some went to championship games, some to the playoffs. This is my seventh team that I think has that.”
