NFC Championship Game knee injury notwithstanding, Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes appears well enough to participate in OTAs.

Derrick Barnes of the Lions had a fantastic season last year, one that included the addition of a first-round pick at his position. In response, he recorded a career-high 81 tackles and five tackles for loss while starting 13 of the 16 games he played in the regular season.

With a game-winning interception late in the game against the Bucs in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, Barnes had a pivotal moment. The team’s patience during his first three seasons paid off.

1. However, the excitement subsided before the NFC Championship Game the next week. Early in the 49ers game, Barnes hurt his knee and was unable to play again.

According to Kyle Meinke of MLive, Barnes thought he had escaped an ACL tear after the game.

Barnes remarked, “I think I avoided that for sure.” In addition, Barnes expressed his frustration at not being able to make a comeback against the 49ers despite his best efforts.

“I literally tried to get my knee to feel better so I could get back out there from the moment I got hurt until there were two minutes left in the game,” Barnes remarked. “It hurts a lot because I want to be with and help these guys so badly, even though I’ve been busting my ass with them and they’re out there shedding blood and sweating tears.”

Derrick Barnes appears well during the Lions’ OTAs.

The development of certain injured players’ injury recoveries is a simple plot point for the Lions’ next phase of organized team activities, which began on Tuesday. Although there was no media presence at Allen Park, the crew did publish a gallery of pictures from their first day of work. There was a photo of Barnes in uniform along with the return of head coach Dan Campbell following an undisclosed absence due to personal reasons during rookie minicamp.

Barnes has another important season ahead of him as he approaches the final year of his rookie deal and is expected to play a larger role in his second season under Jack Campbell. If nothing else, the fact that Barnes was the only Lions player with an injury recovery in action to be noticed in that photo gallery makes him a noteworthy development coming into OTAs.