We Finally See It Now
Look, I spent most of the offseason staring at the defensive line like it was a riddle I couldn’t solve. Two weeks into camp and it finally clicked. And honestly, I was thinking about the whole damn thing backwards.
Edge rusher help was the obvious need going into this offseason. Everyone knew it. Brad Holmes attacked it the way he always does, quietly and with purpose. D.J. Wonnum was a solid addition. Derrick Moore was even better. I loved Moore from the Senior Bowl on, mocked him to Detroit constantly because the fit was just too obvious to ignore. By the time the combine rolled around it felt inevitable.
But the interior? That’s where I kept hitting a wall.
The Interior Was the Real Problem
Alim McNeill came back too early last season. We all saw it. The hope was that with a full offseason to heal from that ACL tear, he’d look like himself again. And here’s the thing about big defensive linemen recovering from knee injuries: it takes longer. A lot longer. These guys aren’t 190-pound receivers. McNeill is carrying an extra 100 pounds. The timeline is different. The recovery is slower. You have to give it time.
Tyleik Williams was always going to start at nose tackle. That was never a question.
The question was what happens beyond those two. DJ Reader left. Who backs up Williams at nose tackle? When Detroit signed Jay Tufele I thought maybe that’s the answer, but even then he’s a journeyman. He’s been around. I didn’t know if he’s the guy you want to lean on when things get real.
And who’s behind McNeill as your interior pass rusher? Levi Onwuzurike if he stays healthy, sure. Skyler Gill-Howard looked like he could bring some juice as a rookie, but I figured he’d be more December than September. The kind of guy who grows into a role over time, not a day one answer.
Versatility Changes Everything
Then camp started and the whole picture flipped. I have to give credit to Jeremy Reisman at Pride of Detroit for planting the seed, because I was stuck in a binary way of thinking. Nose tackle. Defensive tackle. Three-tech. Big end. Labels. Boxes. Base-level stuff.
But that’s not how this defensive line is built.
It’s about versatility. A guy isn’t just a nose tackle. He can play nose, he can play big end, he can play any technique you need him to play depending on the down and distance and matchup. That’s how you populate the bottom half of the roster without panicking.
Tyler Lacy can set the edge as a big end in the run game, then kick inside and bring pass rush juice from the interior. Ahmed Hassanien has that same big end flexibility but can slide inside when you need him. Onwuzurike can play on the interior. Gill-Howard too. There’s so much more here than I initially gave it credit for.
These guys aren’t just edge rushers or just defensive tackles. They’re a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and that’s exactly the point.
Where the 53-Man Roster Stands
Right now I have nine defensive linemen locked in: Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill, Tyleik Williams, Derrick Moore, D.J. Wonnum, Ahmed Hassanine, Skyler Gill-Howard, Tyler Lacy, and Levi Onwuzurike.
But I see a path for Myles Adams. I see a path for Mehki Wingo, Tyre West, and Aiden Keanainaa to push their way onto the 53-man roster and actually contribute.
This thing is a lot more figured out than I thought it would be at this point in camp. I was spending the offseason trying to fashion ways to get more interior guys onto the roster, and now I’m starting to think Brad Holmes already had it covered. It’s all about versatility. We’ve been thinking too rigidly, slotting guys into positions like it’s Madden. But no, the vision is everyone can do anything.
I feel a lot better about this defensive line than I did a few months ago. We’ll see how it all unfolds, but right now it’s heading in the right direction. Which, if you’ve been a Lions fan long enough, you know is about as optimistic as we’re allowed to get in August.
Do you trust this defensive line or are we just talking ourselves into it because it’s camp and hope springs eternal? Drop your take below.
