Ahmed Hassanein didn’t waste any time announcing himself in the Detroit Lions’ preseason opener.
On Cincinnati’s second offensive snap, the defensive end beat his man, slipped through the middle and dragged Joe Burrow down for a nine-yard sack. It was a loud first punch in a game that had been a long time coming for Hassanein, who was back on the field after missing all of last season with a pec injury suffered during last year’s preseason. Detroit waived him with an injury settlement soon after, then brought him back in November.
The 2025 sixth-round pick out of Boise State later signed a reserve/future contract at the end of the 2025 season.
His night didn’t stop with the Burrow sack. Hassanein added two more tackles in the first half, then came through again midway through the third quarter with another sack and a forced fumble on Josh Johnson on third down. That play helped push Cincinnati into a field goal attempt.
Detroit’s only two sacks in the Lions’ 16-14 loss came from Hassanein, and his work accounted for two of the team’s five tackles for loss.
Hassanein has been building toward this kind of moment for weeks. After Detroit drafted him, he was emotional enough to tell head coach Dan Campbell over the phone at his draft party that he would "die for" his new coach. He’s carried that same edge into camp, bringing energy and attitude every day.
He also spent the offseason training with Aidan Hutchinson’s trainer, and that work has shown up in a big way. What once looked like a possible battle just to survive the 53-man roster has turned into first-team reps and a preseason start against the Bengals.
That matters for a Lions pass rush that entered the preseason with questions beyond Hutchinson. Rookie Derrick Moore missed the opener with a minor groin strain, and veteran D.J. Wonnum, who was signed in free agency, did not play.
So Hassanein got the chance to prove his camp buzz was real, and he took it. His pressure against Cincinnati’s starters put him squarely in the mix for meaningful snaps in the pass-rush rotation.
Still, this was only one checkpoint in his comeback. Training camp and the preseason are still ahead, and he’ll need to keep stacking strong performances to secure a roster spot. So far, he’s done exactly that.
In Other News...
Lions Injury Scare Feels Different Now But One Concern Remains
Detroits preseason opener came with the kind of injury scare that can tighten a coachs jaw in a hurry, but the early read from Dan Campbell was at least encouraging on two fronts. Ennis Rakestraw and Mekhi Wingo both came out of the game with issues, yet Campbell said Rakestraw is likely dealing with an arm contusion rather than anything more damaging, while Wingo may enter concussion protocol without being viewed as seriously hurt.
Loren Strickland is the name that still leaves a little unease hanging in the air. His injury is the one that remains unresolved pending imaging, and until those results come back, the Lions are left to sort through a preseason moment that felt heavier than a routine tuneup but now looks manageable in spots and uncertain in one key place. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Preseason Opener Put Several Roster Battles Suddenly In Focus
The Lions first preseason game against the Bengals offered an early look at a roster that still has plenty to sort out, and the 16-14 loss did not do much to settle things. There were encouraging signs from Hassanein, who came away with two sacks, and from Saylors, who led the team in both rushing and receiving yards, while Jake Bates accounted for Detroits only points through the first three quarters.
Still, the opener also put some of the margin-of-error players in sharper relief. Isaac TeSlaa and Frazier both had uneven moments, with turnovers and penalties showing up at the wrong times, and that is exactly the kind of detail coaches tend to lean on when roster decisions start getting real. For a team trying to separate itself from the pack at the bottom of the depth chart, those next snaps may matter as much as the scoreboard did Friday night. [Read more 🡒]