Ahmed Hassanein's regular season debut may be imminent.
The young pass rusher, who missed all of his rookie season last year with a pectoral injury, has been on the Detroit Lions' 53-man roster after an impressive preseason showing. However, Hassanein has been inactive every week thus far this season.
There's good reason for that. The Lions drafted Derrick Moore in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. They also picked up D.J. Wonnum in free agency, who has played well above expectations this season.
With Wonnum in concussion protocol after an accidental friendly-fire hit from safety Brian Branch, and the 1-6 Miami Dolphins coming up on Sunday, now may be as good a time as any to unleash Hassanein and see what you have in him.
Aidan Hutchinson feels Ahmed Hassanein's time is near
There's still a chance Wonnum can clear concussion protocol and play on Sunday, but what will the Lions do if he can't? Edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson was asked this question on Tuesday, per 97.1 The Ticket's Will Burchfield, and the star pass rusher named Hassanein as a candidate to see some playing time.
"If I was a betting man I’d say Ahmed’s probably getting his opportunity this week," Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson adds that Hassanein is "itching" to play and "can't wait" to get on the field.
If his preseason debut coming off a lengthy injury recovery was any indication, the Lions should expect a hot start out of an eager-to-play Hassanein. Going up against the Cincinnati Bengals' starters, Hassanein immediately made his presence known with an early sack of quarterback Joe Burrow. He added a second sack and a forced fumble, along with four tackles.
Hassanein also added five pressures in his 21 pass-rushing snaps, per PFF (via A to Z Sports' Mike Payton), culminating in an 89.9 Pro Football Focus grade -- the highest-graded player on the Lions that day.
Hassanein didn't add to those sack and tackle totals in the remaining two preseason games, but he was still disruptive throughout. And that's all without Hutchinson lining up on the other side, who has been known to draw plenty of attention away from his pass-rush partners.
If Hassanein brings that same energy on Sunday, if given the opportunity to play, the Lions' strong pass rush may not skip a beat if Wonnum misses time.
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