If the preseason has offered Detroit Lions fans one clear reason to feel better about the defense, it’s the way the front has taken over. The defensive line has been disruptive from start to finish, and that matters because it gives the Lions something they can actually trust once the regular season begins.
On Tuesday, ahead of the final preseason game and cutdown day, head coach Dan Campbell made it plain that the depth up front is no joke.
"The D-line room, man. That one is, I mean, that could go any way right now.
It really can. I mean, there's a number of guys in there.
The hard thing is you can't keep all those guys. You just can't, not without it hurting the rest of your roster.
And, there's some good players in there. There's some veterans, some young guys, there's raw talent, and there's things in there that you really like."
Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill, Tyleik Williams, and DJ Wonnum are the headliners, but the group goes well beyond them. Skyler Gill-Howard, Derrick Moore, Levi Onwuzurike, Tyler Lacy, and others have also added to the sense that Detroit has real options in that room.
That’s especially important for a defense that may end up leaning on two things it can control: getting after the quarterback and holding up against the run.
The encouraging part for Detroit is that the strength up front helps soften some of the concern elsewhere, because the secondary still has questions. It’s not a disaster by any means.
D.J. Reed was excellent in his lone preseason action last week, and Rock Ya-Sin has continued to flash in training camp against Detroit’s starting offense, which should only raise expectations for what he can do against less dangerous receiver groups.
Nick Whiteside has also earned praise, while rookie Keith Abney II keeps climbing the depth chart and turning heads. Ennis Rakestraw and Roger McCreary, who were once viewed as possible roster bubble players, now feel close to locks.
Even with those positives, the defensive backfield still doesn’t match the level of the line. Reed is likely the only true star in the starting secondary right now, and the Lions still have not offered a firm timetable for Brian Branch or Kerby Joseph to return.
That leaves Chuck Clark, Avonte Maddox, and Thomas Harper in line for snaps. Clark has looked quick in camp, and Maddox has stood out in preseason, but they’re not Branch and Joseph.
The bigger picture is hard to miss. In 2025, Detroit ranked 26th in pass rush win rate and 29th in run stop win rate, ugly numbers for a team that had a healthy Hutchinson all season. Front-seven health was a problem then, and it’s part of why this current version of the defense feels more promising.
Counting on a much better defensive line is a lot more realistic than expecting the secondary to suddenly turn into an All-Pro unit. For Detroit, that’s a workable path. The Lions needed better run defense and more pressure on the pocket, and both appear to be trending in the right direction with Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints coming up.
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