Throughout the offseason, SB Nation will host surveys for NFL followers, sponsored by the people over at FanDuel Sportsbook. For Pride of Detroit, we’re tasked with fielding questions from Detroit Lions followers, and this week’s query focuses on an vital facet of the Lions’ protection: cross rush.
In 2025, the Lions protection completed the common season with a formidable 2.9 sacks per recreation (tied for fourth-best in the NFL) and 13.76 strain per recreation (sixth-best in the NFL). All-Pro edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson locked down one aspect of their defensive position, and for the fourth season in a row, he led the group in sacks, together with 14.5 in 2025, 7.5 in simply 5 video games in 2024, 11.5 in 2023, and 9.5 in his rookie season.
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Complementing Hutchinson final season was Al-Quadin Muhammad, who registered 11.0 sacks in a pass-rushing-only function, whereas Jack Campbell (5 sacks), Derrick Barnes (4 sacks), Alex Anzalone (2.5 sacks) and Brian Branch (2.5 sacks) contributed from off-ball positions. The remainder of the group noticed seven gamers whole a mixed 8.5 sacks.
In the 2026 offseason, the Lions noticed Muhammad and Anzalone depart for the Buccaneers, and in flip, signed DJ Wonnum in free company. Then they drafted two Michigan males, deciding on Derrick Moore in the second spherical and Jimmy Rolder in the fourth. While Rolder will certainly take a while to acclimate at linebacker, Moore is anticipated to right away compete for snaps with Wonnum, as the Lions look to handle a evident concern in their cross rush.
While productive on the stat sheet in 2025, the Lions’ “time to pressure (TTP)” was considered one of the worst in the NFL, rating thirtieth total and averaging 2.86 seconds earlier than producing strain. This was an space the Lions are hoping Wonnum and Moore will help them enhance, as coach Dan Campbell famous throughout OTAs:
“Well, we certainly wanted to see if we can add a little bit of juice in there on the perimeter, but also in the middle. And now with that requires if you’re going to add a couple of these guys that maybe their strength is a little more in the rush game.”
While Wonnum and Moore qualify as the “juice” on the edge that Campbell talked about, the enchancment in the “middle” certainly refers to defensive sort out Alim McNeill. After a mid-season return from an ACL tear, McNeill generated just one sack in 2025, significantly decrease than his earlier two seasons, when he recorded 3.5 sacks earlier than tearing his ACL in 2024 and 5.0 sacks in 2023. Now that McNeill is additional faraway from an ACL tear, the Lions are hoping he can present the strain up the center that was missing final season.
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And that brings us to this week’s query. All indicators level to Hutchinson as soon as once more main the Lions in sacks in 2026, however who will be subsequent on the Lions sack chief record?
Can Wonnum match his 8.0-sack totals from 2023 and 2021 with the Minnesota Vikings? Can Moore construct on his 10-sack season at Michigan? Will McNeill return to kind and produce with extra expertise round him? Or can Jack Campbell or Barnes construct on their success final season with defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard calling the pictures and that includes linebackers?
Make certain to vote in the survey beneath, share your suggestions in the remark part, and examine again with Pride of Detroit later in the week for the outcomes.
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