Stephen Tulloch rarely came off the field in his first three seasons with the Detroit Lions.
From 2011-13, Tulloch played 99% of the Lions’ defensive snaps, more than any other player on the team.
But after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament last season, Tulloch was relegated to part-time duty this fall. The Lions shuffled him in and out of the lineup, trying to limit his usage in passing downs, and he finished 2015 playing 722 of the team’s 1,044 defensive snaps (69.2%), his lowest play-time percentage since 2008.
While being branded a part-time player clearly didn’t sit well with Tulloch, who declined interview requests most of the year, Lions coach Jim Caldwell and others praised the 31-year-old for “accept(ing) his role.