Lions defense won’t settle for being “sufficient” in 2025 revenge tour

With preseason play set to begin in less than three weeks, the Detroit Lions' current roster has plenty of no-brainer locks, but still has enough intrigue in certain spots to warrant a deeper review. Tim Twentyman posted a great high-level article recently, but it's worth taking a deeper dive into the entire roster. Last week, the offensive unit had its moment in the sun; this article will cover both the defense and special teams.

For all positions, the depth chart being used is ESPN's unofficial version, as Detroit has not posted theirs to the team's site as of yet.

Defensive Line

Several big question marks loom large for those fighting in the trenches. First: how will EDGE Aidan Hutchinson perform coming back from a brutal lower-leg break in Week 6 against the Cowboys last season? The young superstar was playing at a DPOY level prior to the injury, and his 7.5 sacks through not quite five games ended up leading the team for the entire season. Quite literally, his presence on the field is a true game-changer.

His replacement last year—mid-season trade acquisition Za’Darius Smith—remains unsigned by the Lions or any team late in the offseason. While fans, Smith, and the Lions all want a reunion, there still appear to be contract details to iron out. From the team’s perspective, it may be far easier to bring Smith back than to try replacing him via trade again.

On the other side of the line, Marcus Davenport was re-signed during the offseason. The major question for him is whether he can get back to double digits in games played. In each of the last two seasons—with the Vikings in 2023 and the Lions in 2024—he suffered early injuries that kept him off the field.

With the plethora of Lions defenders going on IR in 2024, quite a few players got snaps they might not have otherwise. Backup Josh Paschal, a second-round pick by the Lions in 2022, played in fourteen games and notched a pair of sacks and a fumble recovery.

Al-Quadin Muhammed, added to the practice squad after last year's early bye, was promoted to the active roster as defenders continued to be sidelined. He would ultimately play in nine games, notching three sacks. The team also added sixth-round draft pick Ahmed Hassenein, the league's first drafted Egyptian player, to the roster in April.

On the defensive interior, veteran DJ Reader will come back for his second year with the Lions. Last season, he took part in 23 tackles, including three sacks, and he figures to start once again. Unfortunately, Alim McNeill will be delayed returning to the team. He'll start the season on injured reserve as he rehabs an ACL injury. The competition for his vacant starting spot will be an interesting one, with first-round rookie Tyliek Williams in pole position with a chance to prove his worth.

Behind Williams, the outlook becomes much murkier. Levi Onwuzurike signed a 1 year extension, keeping him with the team that drafted him in the second round in GM Brad Holmes' inaugural season at the team's helm. A divisive, up-and-down player, Onwuzurike had a decent season last year after missing all of 2022 and part of 2023 with a lingering back injury.

Brodric Martin and Mekhi Wingo, drafted by the Lions in 2023 and 2024 respectively, also need to show improvement to secure roster spots—Martin, in particular, needs to step up in training camp and the preseason in a big way. Also, don't count out free agent signing Roy Lopez, coming to the team from Arizona.

Linebackers

The captain of the defense, Alex Anzalone is in the final year of his contract and is angling for a huge payday. While that may be more possible, given the flexibility the entire league is seeing in the near future, the two sides have not come to an agreement as of yet. Anzalone made significant strides to come back from a broken arm just in time for the division title push and the playoffs last year.

His protégé, Jack Campbell, played lights out last year, racking up 69 solo tackles and assisting in 62 others during the regular season. He was one of the very few defenders to stay healthy enough to play in all 17 games last year, and was Pro Football Focus' 10th-ranked linebacker across the entire league.

Coming off a season-ending injury early in the year, Derrick Barnes signed a three-year, $25.5M extension this spring. Having him back and healthy in the SAM role is a great boost to the defense, providing much-needed flexibility for the team.

As far as the backups go, the injuries to others meant that Trevor Nowaske saw increased playing time, appearing in 14 games. He was joined in a more limited fashion by Anthony Pittman. Hard Knocks made an instant fan-favorite out of Malcolm Rodriguez, but his Thanksgiving Day ACL tear figures to put him on the sidelines until late this year.

Ezekiel Turner, who played in 9 games and had 12 total tackles, rounds out the linebacker corps along with free agent signings Zach Cunningham and Grant Stuard.

Cornerbacks

Carlton Davis, playing solidly until he broke his jaw against the Bills, left the team for New England. In his place, Holmes managed to secure D.J. Reed off the Jets, paying him $48M over three years. Early in the offseason, the rest of the team's secondary impressed the heck out of Reed, and he certainly seems fired up to join the rest of the deep backs.

On the other side of the field, Terrion Arnold looks to elevate his play in his second year in the league. Last year, Arnold was targeted by refs early and often for handsy play, but better that by far than a corner that can't keep up. He calmed down during the second half of the season, and for a position that almost always takes time to adjust to the pro game, Arnold seems as if he'll be able to step up and be the corner that the team needs.

Ennis Rakestraw, another casualty last year, played about half of his rookie season while dealing with a hamstring injury suffered early in the season. He'll be battling with returning veteran Amik Robertson and free agent signing Avonte Maddox from the Super Bowl-winning Eagles for the starting nickelback role. Robertson ended up playing in every game last season, collecting eight pass breakups and three forced fumbles on the year.

Safeties

Another bright spot on a decimated defense, the superstar duo of Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch played a significant role in the team's success down the stretch. Joseph, who became the league's highest-paid safety this offseason, secured a contract worth $86M. Between the two, they combined for 13 interceptions last year, including several that directly prevented seemingly guaranteed scoring opportunities for the opposition.

Rookie Dan Jackson and Morice Norris, a UDFA last season and promoted from the practice squad to the roster late December, will both fight for a chance to make the final cut.

Special Teams

After Matt Prater's departure for the Cardinals in 2021, the team searched, and searched, and searched for a franchise kicker. Part of HC Dan Campbell's aggressiveness in seasons past could be attributed to a lack of trust in an ongoing parade of kickers who either didn't have the leg or didn't have the accuracy needed to be able to reliably and sustainably settle for three points.

Enter Jake Bates, who parlayed a highlight reel of a season with the Michigan Panthers into a tryout with the Lions, and then the starting job. He would go on to hit multiple game-winning field goals, including a miracle come-from-behind victory against the Texans.

Punter Jack Fox, meanwhile, didn't do much for the team in a couple of games, as on two separate occasions his appearances were limited to taking place-kick snaps and acting as a holder for Bates due to the success of the offense. When he did find the field, however, all he did was set a league record for best net punting yardage, getting an average of 46.2 yards per punt. His ability to flip the field was crucial, setting up for the defense's "bend, don't break" strategy as the season wore on.

Punt Returner/ WR Kalif Raymond electrified last year, leading the NFL in punt return yards and scoring a 90-yard touchdown against the Titans. Khalil Dorsey has found his home in the special teams unit, playing phenomenally as a gunner when kicking, but also as the team's primary Kick Returner. Last year's UDFA signing, Hogan Hatten, likewise has STC Dave Fipp's full confidence, after an amazing rookie season as the team's Long Snapper.

Outlook

Special teams for the Lions has a long history of overall excellence, and Fipp should have no problems in getting the entire unit ready to perform their jobs in their usual stellar manner.

Of much more concern for the team is how well a defense that was shredded by injuries last year will bounce back. Several starters or primary backups will be out for months yet, while others are already back and testing out how well they healed in the offseason. New DC Kelvin Sheppard, promoted after his success in turning around a moribund linebacker room, will have his hands full getting the defense to be able to play as one single unit again.

The good news is that as long as the offense plays anywhere near as well as they did last season, all the defense has to be is one word: Sufficient. They don't need to be a top-five unit - although that would certainly help. All they have to be is consistent and healthy, and that should be enough to get the Lions through a deep run into the playoffs. Of course, this team certainly won't settle for sufficient. They're going to do their level best to annihilate their opponents after the way the last two seasons have ended, and Sheppard's defense certainly figures to lead the way in that endeavor.

More Detroit Lions news and analysis