Week 2 Linebacker Usage and Review

Week 2 is in the books, so we can finally separate one-week surprises from actual linebacker roles.

Week 1 gave us our first look at green-dot responsibilities, nickel packages and potential every-down linebackers. Week 2 gave us something even more valuable: confirmation.

Some linebackers have already established themselves as weekly IDP starters. Others are playing plenty of snaps but doing very little. A few younger linebackers are beginning to take over roles that could matter for the rest of the season.

This week’s review also adds another layer to the evaluation: box snaps, coverage snaps and tackles. Total defensive snaps tell us whether a linebacker is playing, but alignment and coverage usage help explain how those snaps are being used.

As always, starting linebacker does not automatically mean every-down linebacker. Box scores flirt. Snap counts commit. Now we’re checking where those snaps actually happen.

Let’s open the Week 2 receipts.

Week 2 Top 100 Linebacker Usage Chart

Arizona Cardinals

Jack Gibbens continues to look like the safest IDP option in Arizona’s linebacker room. He has logged 96 box snaps and 60 coverage snaps, showing that Arizona isn’t treating him like a situational run defender.

Mack Wilson Sr. has been heavily involved as well with 113 box snaps and 61 coverage snaps.

The biggest takeaway here is that Gibbens has survived the preseason uncertainty. Arizona gave us enough hints during the preseason that Gibbens and Wilson were the favorites, and two weeks into the season that appears to have been the correct read.

Cody Simon, meanwhile, has recorded only four box snaps and two coverage snaps. The rookie remains a dynasty hold, but this is not currently a redraft role.

Atlanta Falcons

Divine Deablo continues to lead an Atlanta linebacker room that remains worth monitoring closely. Deablo has accumulated 99 box snaps and 82 coverage snaps.

Kendal Daniels has accumulated 72 box snaps and 39 coverage snaps while Harold Perkins Jr. sits at 43 box snaps and 35 coverage snaps.

That difference matters. Daniels continues to profile as the more traditional linebacker while Perkins’ coverage involvement relative to his overall workload illustrates the versatility Atlanta can deploy with him. This remains a linebacker room where role matters more than name recognition.

Baltimore Ravens

Roquan Smith remains Roquan Smith.

There isn’t much mystery here. His usage remains massive with 118 box snaps and 64 coverage snaps.

The more interesting question continues to be what Baltimore does next to him. Smith’s combination of playing time, box deployment and coverage responsibility keeps him firmly in the every-down category. The second linebacker position remains much less valuable for IDP purposes.

Buffalo Bills

Terrel Bernard continues to carry one of the largest linebacker workloads in football, recording 131 box snaps and 83 coverage snaps. That is exactly the profile we want.

Dorian Williams has 85 box snaps and 46 coverage snaps while Kaleb Elarms-Orr remains well behind with only 16 box snaps and 14 coverage snaps.

The preseason concern surrounding Williams’ role has not completely disappeared, but he continues to get enough work to remain relevant in deeper IDP formats.

Carolina Panthers

Devin Lloyd has accumulated 106 box snaps and 54 coverage snaps while producing 16 solo tackles, six assists, two tackles for loss, a sack, three passes defended and two interceptions through two games. That is quite the opening two weeks.

Bobby Okereke has 110 box snaps and 56 coverage snaps. He has produced nine solo tackles and six assists. That’s about as clean of a two-linebacker deployment as we could ask for.

Lloyd’s early production has been especially impressive. The big plays will fluctuate, but the playing time and tackle opportunities give him multiple paths to IDP production.

Chicago Bears

T.J. Edwards continues to own a massive deployment profile with 118 box snaps and 60 coverage snaps. Devin Bush has recorded 88 box snaps and 53 coverage snaps, giving him a legitimate IDP role through two weeks.

When Edwards is healthy and on the field, this remains his linebacker room from an IDP perspective. Bush has enough usage to matter, particularly in deeper formats.

Cincinnati Bengals

Barrett Carter has already accumulated 123 box snaps and 99 coverage snaps. That coverage number immediately jumps off the page.

Demetrius Knight Jr. isn’t far behind with 102 box snaps and 82 coverage snaps.

Cincinnati is trusting both linebackers in passing situations rather than rotating them off the field whenever the offense spreads out. Knight has produced 19 combined tackles through two games while Carter has 13. This might quietly be one of the more interesting two-linebacker situations in the league.

Cleveland Browns

Carson Schwesinger continues to look exactly like the kind of rookie linebacker IDP managers should chase. He has logged 107 box snaps and 59 coverage snaps while producing 20 combined tackles. That workload is the important part.

The tackles will fluctuate. The opportunity is much harder to manufacture. Schwesinger is no longer just an upside rookie stash. The usage has moved him into weekly starting consideration.

Dallas Cowboys

Jaishawn Barham continues to be one of the most interesting young linebackers to monitor. With DeMarvion Overshown unavailable, Barham was given the green dot and defensive play-calling responsibilities in just his second NFL game. He responded with seven tackles and a forced fumble against Washington. Barham also briefly visited the injury tent before returning to the game.

Dee Winters sits at 67 box snaps and 56 coverage snaps. That coverage usage is notable and keeps Winters involved in this conversation.

Barham, who has accumulated 69 box snaps and 37 coverage snaps, remains the linebacker with the profile I prefer if Dallas eventually gives him the complete role, but this situation isn’t settled enough to ignore Winters.

Denver Broncos

Alex Singleton continues doing Alex Singleton things. He has accumulated 120 box snaps and 63 coverage snaps while producing 10 solo tackles and 15 assists. That’s 25 tackles through two games. Singleton’s ability to find the football continues to make him one of the most reliable tackle-volume linebackers in IDP when he owns an every-down role.

Justin Strnad is the new name worth watching in Denver. I entered the season expecting his role to remain limited, but that is changing quickly. Strnad has accumulated 102 box snaps and 45 coverage snaps. That is enough usage to move him from a big-play scoring option to a legitimate waiver-wire consideration in deeper IDP leagues.

Detroit Lions

Jack Campbell has one of the most impressive usage profiles on the entire sheet with 149 box snaps and 87 coverage snaps. That’s massive.

Derrick Barnes has also remained involved with 70 box snaps and 73 coverage snaps. More importantly, Week 2 gave us additional evidence that Detroit is comfortable keeping both Campbell and Barnes on the field rather than treating Barnes like a rotational linebacker.

This is the type of development we needed to see from Barnes. Campbell remains the green-dot linebacker and preferred IDP option, but Barnes’ role is becoming considerably more interesting.

Green Bay Packers

Edgerrin Cooper continues to establish himself as one of Green Bay’s primary linebackers. He has recorded 101 box snaps and 69 coverage snaps.

Zaire Franklin has accumulated 129 box snaps and 76 coverage snaps.

Green Bay again relied heavily on Franklin and Cooper at linebacker in Week 2. That is excellent usage for both players. Cooper’s role is real. Franklin and Cooper are functioning as Green Bay’s primary linebackers, and both deserve IDP attention.

Houston Texans

Azeez Al-Shaair remains the linebacker to own.

He has logged 105 box snaps and 71 coverage snaps while producing 11 solo tackles, nine assists and a tackle for loss. That is exactly the type of deployment we want from an IDP linebacker.

Jake Hansen is suddenly a name IDP managers need to know. Henry To’oTo’o was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, opening the LB2 job next to Al-Shaair. Hansen is the next man up and has accumulated 55 box snaps and 33 coverage snaps.

This is exactly the type of injury-created opportunity we look for on the waiver wire. Hansen doesn’t need to replace Al-Shaair as the green dot to become useful. If Houston keeps two linebackers on the field consistently, Hansen could have immediate value in deeper IDP formats.

Indianapolis Colts

Akeem Davis-Gaither has become one of the biggest surprises of the first two weeks. Through two games, Davis-Gaither has produced 12 solo tackles and 10 assists, giving him 22 combined tackles. His alignment data is equally impressive with 125 box snaps and 69 coverage snaps. The combination of tackle production and opportunity makes this difficult to dismiss as a fluke.

The bigger development is the responsibility Indianapolis is giving him. Davis-Gaither has gone from someone we were simply hoping would win a starting job to a linebacker the Colts are trusting with a significant defensive role. This is exactly why we track tackle efficiency alongside raw tackle totals. Davis-Gaither isn’t simply collecting tackles because he happens to be on the field. He is converting his opportunities at an impressive rate.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Foyesade Oluokun remains the known commodity with 86 box snaps and 46 coverage snaps.

Ventrell Miller, however, deserves attention. Miller has accumulated 72 box snaps and 32 coverage snaps while producing nine solo tackles, seven assists, two tackles for loss and a sack. This isn’t enough to put Miller in Oluokun’s category, but it is enough to keep him firmly on the IDP radar.

Kansas City Chiefs

Nick Bolton remains heavily involved with 108 box snaps and 55 coverage snaps. He has produced 17 combined tackles through two games.

Drue Tranquill isn’t far behind at 89 box snaps and 50 coverage snaps. Tranquill has produced 15 combined tackles. This continues to look like a situation where both linebackers can produce, although Bolton remains the preferred IDP option.

Las Vegas Raiders

Nakobe Dean is back to looking like the linebacker IDP managers remember. Dean has accumulated 101 box snaps and 66 coverage snaps while producing 12 solo tackles, four assists, two tackles for loss, two sacks and three quarterback hits. The production and role are pointing in the same direction.

Quay Walker has 66 box snaps and 61 coverage snaps, giving Las Vegas another linebacker with meaningful passing-down involvement. Dean is rapidly becoming one of my favorite early-season linebacker values.

Los Angeles Chargers

Daiyan Henley remains the linebacker to trust here. He has accumulated 97 box snaps and 64 coverage snaps.

Del’Shawn Phillips sits at 77 box snaps and 34 coverage snaps.

That’s a meaningful separation in passing-down involvement and continues to give Henley the more fantasy-friendly role.

Los Angeles Rams

The Rams’ situation is settled. Nate Landman and Omar Speights entered Week 2 as the clear favorites despite dealing with injuries. Nothing changed following the rout of the Giants. They will be the team’s two options. Not much to see here. Let’s move on.

Miami Dolphins

Jordyn Brooks continues to provide exactly what IDP managers want: opportunity. He has recorded 86 box snaps and 46 coverage snaps.

Jacob Rodriguez has emerged with 107 box snaps and 49 coverage snaps while producing eight solo tackles and 14 assists.

Rodriguez’s usage is worth monitoring closely. The green-dot revelation from Week 1 wasn’t something we should simply forget after one game. This week’s eight-tackle performance may seem like a letdown, but to put up 22 tackles in your first two games as a rookie is impressive.

Minnesota Vikings

Blake Cashman continues to be one of the league’s most efficient tackle producers when healthy. He has recorded 107 box snaps and 52 coverage snaps while producing 17 combined tackles through two games. Cashman’s tackle efficiency has always been the selling point. When the snaps are there, the fantasy production usually follows.

New England Patriots

Christian Elliss deserves considerably more attention after Week 2. For two straight weeks, Elliss (98% and 100% of snaps) has proven he is an every-down player. With that impressive amount of playing time, he has amassed 10 solo tackles, six assists, a tackle for loss, a sack and a quarterback hit while logging 103 box snaps and 60 coverage snaps. That’s not simply a box-score chase. The usage supports the production.

Robert Spillane, as the team’s LB1, also remains heavily involved at 108 box snaps and 63 coverage snaps. New England may have given IDP managers two usable linebackers.

New Orleans Saints

Kaden Elliss remains the linebacker to trust in New Orleans. He has accumulated 108 box snaps and 62 coverage snaps.

Pete Werner quietly put together another useful IDP start. Werner has accumulated 84 box snaps and 58 coverage snaps while producing 11 solo tackles, seven assists, two tackles for loss, a sack, a quarterback hit and a pass defended.

That is a significant development after Werner played only 53% of the defensive snaps in Week 1. His Week 1 production was encouraging, but seven tackles on limited playing time looked difficult to sustain. The increased overall usage gives us considerably more reason for optimism now. If you have to, he could be an add in deeper leagues.

New York Giants

Tremaine Edmunds and Arvell Reese remain the linebackers to roster in New York. The Giants continue to treat both players as foundational pieces rather than members of a rotation. Edmunds offers the safer weekly tackle floor while Reese carries more big-play upside because defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson is willing to deploy him as a blitzer. Reese nearly got home against Matthew Stafford on a second-half pressure, illustrating how his versatile assignment can produce sacks but occasionally pull him away from tackle opportunities. Both linebackers can be started, although Edmunds remains the safer option in tackle-heavy formats.

New York Jets

Jamien Sherwood remains a player whose production needs to be evaluated alongside his opportunity. He has logged 89 box snaps and 56 coverage snaps.

Demario Davis has accumulated 101 box snaps and 69 coverage snaps. The usage remains substantial.

The question for Sherwood isn’t whether he’s playing. It’s whether his tackle production can consistently justify where fantasy managers valued him entering the season. This is why we track efficiency in addition to raw tackle totals. Playing every snap doesn’t automatically make someone an elite IDP linebacker.

Philadelphia Eagles

Jihaad Campbell continues to make the case that he belongs in fantasy lineups. He has accumulated 87 box snaps and 50 coverage snaps while producing 11 solo tackles, eight assists, a tackle for loss, a sack and a quarterback hit. Campbell’s usage is especially encouraging because youngsters don’t always immediately receive this type of responsibility when playing for an established defense like the one Philadelphia has under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.

Zack Baun remains heavily involved as well at 105 box snaps and 58 coverage snaps.

Campbell’s role is real. His roster and starting percentages should continue climbing.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Payton Wilson continues to be one of the most important linebacker developments of the young season. Wilson has accumulated 90 box snaps and 43 coverage snaps while producing eight solo tackles and 10 assists.

Week 1 showed us the snap increase. Week 2 gives us another data point suggesting Pittsburgh may finally be willing to unleash his tackle efficiency over a larger workload. We’ve already seen what Wilson can do per snap. Volume was the missing ingredient.

San Francisco 49ers

Fred Warner remains the standard. He has accumulated 85 box snaps and 50 coverage snaps while producing 16 combined tackles.

Dre Greenlaw has 77 box snaps and 40 coverage snaps.

Nothing too complicated here. Warner remains an every-down anchor. Greenlaw can produce alongside him when healthy, but Warner remains the linebacker around whom the IDP evaluation begins.

Seattle Seahawks

Ernest Jones IV has accumulated 112 box snaps and 71 coverage snaps while producing 12 solo tackles and nine assists. That’s 21 tackles through two games.

Drake Thomas has 76 box snaps and 67 coverage snaps. Thomas’ coverage usage is especially interesting. He’s being trusted in situations that can keep him on the field rather than relegating him to early downs. Jones remains the priority, but Thomas has earned our attention. His role is much more substantial than a rotational linebacker.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Josiah Trotter continues to be one of the most exciting young linebacker developments in IDP. Trotter has accumulated 98 box snaps and 50 coverage snaps while producing nine solo tackles and 13 assists. That’s 22 combined tackles through two games.

He has also added two tackles for loss, a sack, one quarterback hit, a pass defended and an interception. The playing time we saw in Week 1 wasn’t a preseason mirage. Tampa Bay is using him. Trotter needs to be rostered everywhere that starts multiple linebackers. The combination of youth, playing time and tackle production is exactly what we’re hunting.

Alex Anzalone is the other guy here, but use him only in deeper leagues. Fifteen total tackles (five solo) on 122 snaps is not what we are looking for.

Tennessee Titans

Anthony Hill Jr. may be the biggest linebacker story on the entire sheet. Hill has accumulated a massive 138 box snaps and 67 coverage snaps while producing 26 combined tackles through two games. That’s eight solo tackles and 18 assists.

Cody Barton remains involved with 86 box snaps and 56 coverage snaps, but Hill’s workload and production have made the hierarchy increasingly difficult to ignore. Hill looks like the linebacker to own in Tennessee.

If this continues, we’re no longer talking about a waiver pickup. We’re talking about a potential every-week IDP starter.

Washington Commanders

Sonny Styles continues to establish himself with 91 box snaps and 47 coverage snaps.

Week 2 gave us something more interesting. With Frankie Luvu unavailable in Week 2, Washington trusted Styles with the green dot and defensive communication responsibilities. That’s a significant development for a young linebacker whose role I already expected to grow as the season progressed.

Luvu has 28 box snaps and 15 coverage snaps in the available sample while Leo Chenal has recorded 62 box snaps and 37 coverage snaps.

Leo Chenal also becomes more interesting while Luvu is unavailable. The increased opportunity gives Chenal short-term value, but Styles getting the green dot is the development I care about most. Styles is the player whose usage I’m watching most closely because his athletic profile combined with a legitimate NFL workload creates substantial IDP upside.

Keep buying the playing time before the box scores make the decision obvious.

Week 2 Takeaways

Two weeks isn’t enough to declare every linebacker role permanent, but it is enough to start separating preseason assumptions from regular-season reality.

Two weeks have also reinforced something important about linebacker evaluation:

Snap count alone isn’t enough. We want to know where those snaps happen, whether the linebacker survives obvious passing situations and whether the player actually converts opportunity into tackles. That’s why box snaps, coverage snaps and tackle efficiency will continue to be part of this weekly review.

The green dot gets our attention. Every-down usage keeps it. Tackle rates tell us who is actually doing something with it.

Week 3 Waiver Priority

1. Anthony Hill Jr., Tennessee Titans
2. Payton Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Josiah Trotter, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4. Akeem Davis-Gaither, Indianapolis Colts
5. Jihaad Campbell, Philadelphia Eagles
6. Christian Elliss, New England Patriots
7. Jaishawn Barham, Dallas Cowboys
8. Jack Gibbens, Arizona Cardinals
9. Derrick Barnes, Detroit Lions
10. Pete Werner, New Orleans Saints

This article originally appeared on The Huddle: Week 2 Linebacker Usage and Review