The Detroit Lions are in need of a rebound year defensively after missing the playoffs in 2025. One element that needs to improve is its pass rush, particularly the well-roundedness of it.
The Lions finished with the ninth-most pressures in the NFL last season, but the production pretty much only came from one place. Of the Lions’ 153 pressures in 2025, almost a third were from Aidan Hutchinson alone (49), and fellow edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad had 26.
Only 24 of Detroit’s pressures came from true defensive tackles. The Lions did not have an interior defensive lineman record double-digit pressures. Every other team that finished top 10 in pressures in 2025 did. Only two of those teams (Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams) finished with just one, according to Pro Football Reference.
So, there’s a need for more pressure up the middle from Detroit this season. Head coach Dan Campbell was asked about it Friday morning and was in agreement. He acknowledged that teams will do everything in their power to take Hutchinson out of the play, therefore leaving Detroit’s other linemen in one-on-one situations.
"If we’ve got four guys, five guys that can win a one-on-one, then it's about– how do we get them into the game and get them on the field when we get in these critical passing downs? So we'll see, but the interior rush is huge. It's huge."Dan Campbell
Dan Campbell emphasizes Lions’ need for a better interior pass rush
The question started with defensive tackle Alim McNeill, whose performance could largely dictate the fortitude of Detroit’s front seven this season. McNeill enjoyed a third-year breakout in 2023 with five sacks, was rewarded with an extension and was on his way to an even better year in 2024 before a torn ACL ended his season in December.
He returned in the middle of 2025 but was still shaking off the rust and wasn’t the same player. Detroit is hoping he can recapture his earlier form this season.
“Mac (McNeill) is very important,” Campbell said. “...There's these times where either he's not doubled or Hutch isn’t— they’ve got to win. Mac's got to win. And he has the ability to win a one-on-one. And I know we're only two days in. We're two days in. But he does look better. He looks like he's back to what he was.”
McNeill reportedly left Friday’s practice with a neck injury but his status is unclear at this time.
2025 first round defensive tackle Tyleik Williams appears to be a big part of the Lions’ pass rushing plans after dropping 50 pounds down to 325 ahead of year two. Mainly a run-stuffer in year one, there could be more in store for Williams as a pass-rusher moving forward.
“We’re willing to give him an opportunity,” Campbell said of Williams. “If there’s a little bit more that shows, maybe he’s out there a little bit more on third down. We like Tyleik. We absolutely know there’s a role for him and there’s something he can do for us that really helps us. Can it be even more than that? Yeah. Our eyes are open.”
The Lions are also getting interior rusher Levi Onwuzurike back from an injury that kept him out of the entire 2025 season. He produced 22 pressures in 2024. Third-year tackle Mekhi Wingo, rookie Skyler Gill-Howard and inside-outside tweener Tyler Lacy could also offer some upside from the interior.
It’s critical for the Lions to take more off Hutchinson’s plate. He’s a great player, but is too singularly responsible for Detroit’s pass rushing output. If McNeill can turn in a healthy season, Williams can break out and the Lions get solid contributions from their rotational players, it could add a whole new dimension to Detroit’s pass rushing.
That new element could be a major step towards getting this defense back where it needs to be. “We like the body types, the ability,” Campbell said of his interior defensive linemen. “And now it's just about, can you win a one-on-one?”
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