Outlook on the Lions defense

By: Jake Rajala

The Detroit Lions had one of the most stingy defenses in the league last season. They were well-rounded, aggressive, and they showed up in their divisional showdowns. Well, I’m going to untwine why they can take a big step and be the NFL’s best defense.

• Healthy edge rushers

Aidan Hutchinson had 7.5 sacks, 17 QB hits, and 7 TFLs in seven games, before suffering a season ending injury. He was leading the league in sacks – even after the Lions bye week. Clearly, he was a Top-3 Defensive Player of The Year candidate at his last moment. Let’s not forget Hutch’s buddy, Marcus Davenport. Davenport once appeared as the best defender on the Saints. Well, he has only played in five games over the past two years combined. They need a way to keep both of these highly gifted studs stay healthy.

• Second year defenders

The Linebacker Jack Campbell and cornerback Brian Branch were acquired in the same draft (2023), which is quite impressive. They have both elevated their game and played like Pro Bowl-caliber defenders in year two. Campbell had 131 combined tackles, five QB hits, and five TFLs, in 2024. Meanwhile, Branch recorded four interceptions, eight TFLs, and six QB hits last season.

• Young QBs

The Lions defense should be licking its chops when they see who is in their division. They face the young Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams, who was sacked the most in the league a season ago. Then Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy is being thrown in the fire and will have to face growing pains. The Lions even dropped 58 combined points on the Packers in their showdowns.

The Lions were 11th in PPG allowed and 11th in takeaways in 2024. They have pieces at each level to take that next step. A little bit of growth from everyone on the table with everyone mostly staying healthy, should result in an unmatched defense in my opinion. Sure, they don’t have Aaron Glenn calling the shots on defense anymore. They still have Kelvin Shepard, who was previously the LB coach. Furthermore, their pieces over the past couple of seasons are still in place. Hence, the chemistry between everyone is superb.