Lions Found Two Defensive Ends to Play Opposite of Aidan Hutchinson

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell raised some eyebrows when he repeatedly stated "we're good" to describe how he felt about the team's depth at defensive end.

After veteran Marcus Davenport was placed on the injured reserve list, two defensive ends have filled in admirably.

Al-Quadin Muhammad was praised this week by defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard. This season, the 30-year-old has recorded 3.5 sacks and is viewed by the coaching staff as more than "just another guy" the team is throwing out there.

"I think we all know that we have a guy opposite of Hutch now. I think we’re pretty safe to say that Muhammad is a guy opposite Hutch, not just another guy we’re throwing out there," said Sheppard. "But he’s been tremendous. I mean, you’ve literally seen Muhammad line up at the nose, the three-technique, the edge, and hasn’t batted an eye.

"He’s gotten run game in there, it hasn’t just been pass rush. I’ve seen him drop a knee and anchor. I mean, just anything you’ve asked that guy to do. And like I said, where he is in his career, to see him kind of ascending in a way is a credit to (defensive line coach) Kacy Rodgers, but more importantly, it’s a credit to Muhammad, man. Head down, he’s been a grinder since day one ever since I’ve met him.”

Tyler Lacy was primarily used as a defensive tackle during his stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Now in Detroit, the defender caught Sheppard's attention during individual drills.

Detroit's new defensive coordinator suggested to Lacy the team may utilize him to play at the strongside edge position opposite of Aidan Hutchinson.

After two solid performances, the team is encouraged by Lacy's growth.

As Sheppard explained to reporters, "He’s been tremendous. He’s growing on me every week. And he’s getting more and more every week. It’s just the big body at first when he walked in here. You see this huge man, you think, 'Oh, he’s a defensive tackle.' And then you kind of start to see him in individual move around, and I started to ask him, ‘Have you ever played D-end?’ And at first he looked at me and was like, ‘What? No. What do you mean D-end?’ And I’m like, 'Oh, just a thought.’ And then the next week I went up to him again, ‘How would you feel if I told you I needed you to play the five?’ ‘Good, coach.’ And at that point, I don’t think he cared what I asked."

Lacy was waived by the Jaguars and was claimed by Detroit just after the league's initial 53-man roster deadline.

"I could’ve said safety and he would’ve said, ‘I’m good, coach.’ Because he’s a guy who’s been around this League that hasn’t been afforded many opportunities, and he knows this is his second shot at the apple after coming into the League from Oklahoma State," said Sheppard. "And he allows us versatility is what he allows us.

"To be a certain, what looks like big packages, and kind of morph those into sub-groupings. The same way that I speak of (Derrick Barnes) D-Barnes, you could speak of Lacy, to a certain degree, as far as the versatility that he provides for our base defense.”