The hidden Lions edge rusher nobody is paying any attention to

If you've read, listened, or watched anything about the Detroit Lions in the offseason or after Week 1, you know that all the problems with this team stem from one thing, according to what you read, listened to, or watched, and that's edge rusher. The Lions didn't sign one in free agency, they didn't draft one high in the draft, and they didn't trade for one. Why?

The real easy reason is that the Lions feel they're good enough there, and they have reason to feel that way. I know nobody wants to hear that after Sunday's game against the Packers, but that game is not the end-all be-all on this subject.

The team loves Aidan Hutchinson, and they feel good about Marcus Davenport. Once they get Josh Paschal back soon and Ahmed Hassanein at some point this year, they'll feel even better about their depth. Still, there is one edge rusher on this team hidden in the shadows that nobody is paying attention to.

Mekhi Wingo could be an answer to a lot of edge rusher questions

Wingo has been overlooked since his season-ending injury last year, but a lot of people forget just how well he played before that. In the early part of the season, Wingo was featured heavily in the pass rush and attacked from the edge and the middle. In the smaller number of snaps he got, he racked up five pressures in the first four games. As the season went on, the Lions relied on him a little less as he had Levi Onwuzurike ahead of him.

At LSU, Wingo played defensive tackle and edge and wreaked some havoc as a pass rusher in the SEC. He dealt with injuries in his final season, but still recorded 19 pressures and five sacks in eight games. After he was drafted, there was some thought that since he's a bit undersized in the middle, the Lions may move him out to the edge more often. That seemed like it was the way things were going before his injury in Week 11.

Wingo did not play in Week 1 since the Lions were easing him back in. He had just returned from that injury from Week 11, with just a week left in practice, but Lions head coach Dan Campbell did say that Wingo was coming along faster than he expected.

"Where Wingo has come, call it a week and a half, has been pretty impressive. I was like, ‘OK, this guy is further along than I thought he would be coming back," Campbell said.

You must understand that Wingo is not a Pro Bowl-level edge rusher. You should not expect his potential Week 2 return to drastically change the game for the Lions. He can be a strong part of multiple rotations.

He can work inside, where he's been the most in his playing career, and then he can work outside, where he's shown he has some pass-rushing ability. He can be that big fourth depth guy, while the Lions wait to get Paschal and Hassanein back. Perhaps he shows what he's capable of in that time, and we see him a lot more.

But guys like Wingo are why the Lions didn't grab edge rusher depth while they wait for Paschal and Hassanein. Because they felt they could manufacture that depth with other players on the line. This should work in the meantime.