The Detroit Lions set out this past offseason like others seeking to find an edge when it comes to rushing the passer. While they have struggled to do that in recent years, very quietly, it seems those problems are over.
When the Lions signed DJ Wonnum back in March, many fans weren't sure if he would be yet another average veteran brought in with high hopes that fizzled out. The Marcus Davenport experience taught folks to be extremely skeptical of journeyman veterans who had a checkered injury history.
In spite of that, Wonnum has worked out surprisingly well. So far this season, he has five total sacks to lead Detroit. More than that, he has been a consistent source of pressure in the pocket, which is more than most hand-picked running mates for Aidan Hutchinson can say.
Wonnum's confidence in his teammates has helped his fast start
Wonnum's surge has the Lions' pass rush on the right track this season collectively. Through five weeks, the Lions lead the NFL in sacks with 20. That's unheard of given the franchise's recent checkered history with getting after the pocket. Those results have the Lions at 3-2 in spite of a disaster playing out in their secondary.
Over the last few seasons, Brad Holmes has been criticized for not making a big-ticket move up front. Potentially, this happened for a reason. The Lions appear to need more in the secondary than along the defensive line, and they could have the flexibility to make a bigger move thanks to the emergence of Wonnum.
So far, Wonnum has been as big a reason for Detroit's success as anyone early in the season. He deserves credit for being as advertised for the Lions and for managing to surpass the modest expectations of the fanbase early on. It will be exciting to see how far he can take his play in the weeks ahead.
Why has Wonnum been a success thus far? It has a great deal to do with his teammates. Not only is Wonnum doing his job well, but he is benefiting from a unit that is playing well collectively, which has been a big bonus to the defense.
As Wonnum recently explained to the media, everybody is pulling in the right direction to have success. That has allowed him to fit in seamlessly and has allowed the entire defensive line to step up and make an impact.
"I think it's just a tight-knit group and we know what we've got to do to get the job done. We went through OTA's, we went through all the mini-camps and different things like that. Knowing the the time at hand, we got the guys to do it. We got talent up front. We got the guys behind us. So, I just feel like we just go out and basically do our job to a high level. We got talented guys in that room that can do everything and we just show it on display every Sunday."
The Lions have seen Wonnum fit in seamlessly early on, and his play is doing well enough to make people believe he can be a huge part of the solution all year. His continued emergence up front would be a huge development for the strength of Detroit's defense all season long.
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