The Detroit Lions ranked second in the NFL with 12 sacks through the first three weeks.
But their rookie second-round pick, brought in specifically to bolster the pass rush, has yet to contribute to that impressive total.
In fact, Derrick Moore has yet to make a tackle of any kind in his first three NFL games.
The former Michigan standout had perhaps his best chance last Sunday during the first half of a 31-24 victory over the New York Jets, when he got his hands on running back Breece Hall in the backfield.
But Hall slipped away before linebacker Derrick Barnes tracked him down and wrangled him to the turf two yards behind the line of scrimmage.
Moore logged only six snaps the rest of the game, recording a quarterback hurry late in the fourth quarter after
shoving right tackle Armand Membou back and crushing Geno Smith’s pocket in the process. His bull rush forced Smith to release the ball early, and the end result was a 4-yard loss.
It was a good moment. But that is all it was – a brief flash during an otherwise lackluster performance.
By and large, Moore has been a non-factor. Even though the has been primarily deployed on either edge in passing situations, five other Lions defensive linemen – including three interior tackles – have higher pressure rates than Moore's 4.8%. The lack of production, in many ways, explains why he has averaged just under 15 snaps per game, and why his playing time has gradually decreased each week.
“We're just trying to find more ways to get him going more,” defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said this week. “Obviously, his rep count isn't high right now and things like that, but who are you pulling off the field?”
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Not Aidan Hutchinson, the two-time Pro Bowler who currently leads the team in every major pass-rush category and has been in the game 88% of the time the opposing offense has the ball.
Probably not DJ Wonnum either. The veteran, who was one of the team’s top free-agent acquisitions this past offseason, already has two contributed two sacks and four hurries.
There also isn’t much reason to swap Moore in for Tyler Lacy, a superior run defender who is usually deployed on early base downs.
Moore understands the reality of his situation.
“It’s really nothing to be frustrated about,” he said Thursday. “Just take advantage of the opportunity when my number is called.”
Moore dealt with a similar dynamic during his first two seasons at Michigan, playing behind teammates with more experience, including Mike Morris, Jaylen Harrell and Braiden McGregor. Moore had to fight for his opportunities then and must again compete for them now.
Moore insists he will, telling a group of reporters Thursday his mindset is to “stay hungry” and “make the best” of the chances he’s given.
If he does, and then delivers the kind of results the Lions expect out of him, Moore will be better positioned to earn a bigger role.
Sheppard told him so.
“Those are honest conversations I've had with him,” Sheppard said. “There has to be merit to why we're playing you more. We're not just playing you more because you're a draft pick. We don't do that here. We never have. There has to be validation and merit. There has to be evidence. There has to be reasons why we're giving you more reps. But listen, the Derrick Moore thing I told him, listen, it's coming. It's coming. It's just a matter of when and where, but it's coming.”
Moore – perhaps more so than Sheppard – will be the one who determines when that big break arrives.
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin on X.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: What's up with Derrick Moore? Lions' rookie trying to find his footing
