Rejoice! The Detroit Lions have signed an EDGE! On Tuesday night, the Lions signed former Carolina Panthers' EDGE D.J. Wonnum to a one-year, up to $6 million deal.
The deal, reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, comes after Wonnum visited the Lions earlier on Tuesday, per the NFL’s transaction wire.
Former Panthers free-agent DE DJ Wonnum is signing a one-year deal worth up to $6 million with the Detroit Lions, per his agents Kevin Conner & Robert Brown of @unisportsmgmt pic.twitter.com/45RQRtITMN
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 17, 2026
Wonnum played 16 games for the Panthers last season, starting 15 of them. He totaled 42 tackles, including four for a loss. This, along with 3.0 sacks and one interception. In last season's playoffs, Wonnum had five tackles, a QB hit, and two passes defended in the Panthers' close 31-34 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
It was a solid rebound season for Wonnum after missing the first ten games of the 2024 season with a torn quadriceps injury, which he suffered in a game against the Lions in late 2023. That quad injury required multiple surgeries and, during his recovery, Wonnum also dealt with blood clots forming in his lungs.
That game against the Lions was his last for the Minnesota Vikings, where he spent his first four NFL seasons. In those four seasons, Wonnum hit a career-high 8.0 sacks twice, more than the 7.0 total sacks he had during his two-year Panthers tenure.
Wonnum's signing is the first new addition to the Lions' defensive line this offseason, and comes at a time when the Lions only have three EDGE defenders in Aidan Hutchinson, Ahmed Hassanein, and Tyler Lacy.
Wonnum's contract is the same as the one Al-Quadin Muhammad signed
Wonnum's deal is an intriguing one because it's the same one former breakout pass rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There may be differences buried within their deals, but as it stands now, they're both functionally one-year, $6 million contracts.
Why Wonnum and not Muhammad? The first reason could be age. Muhammad is about to turn 31, while Wonnum will turn 29 on Halloween. This fits the current youth movement trend of the offseason, in which, outside of backup QB Teddy Bridgewater, every player brought in or brought back will be 30 at the oldest entering next season. The age difference here isn't significant, but it still aligns with other recent acquisitions.
READ MORE: Lions avoid widely expected moves with their first wave of free agency signings
The other reason could be what each brings to the table. Not all EDGE defenders are the same. For example, Wonnum played in 271 run defense snaps last season. Muhammad? Only 83. Wonnum's 688 total snaps, 29th most in the league, is also much higher than Muhammad's 457.
Muhammad was efficient, but playing only 41% of snaps left gaps in the defense that had to be filled by others in the rotation, like Marcus Davenport if he was available. Comparatively, Wonnum played in 68% of defensive snaps for the Panthers. That brings more consistency to the defense opposite of Hutchinson, one that could be further bolstered by a high draft pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Wonnum, like Muhammad, may not be the answer fans are desperately looking for in the pass rush. Brad Holmes could still have something up his sleeve in that regard by the end of April. However, Wonnum should be a valuable member of the defensive rotation. Like Muhammad last season, he could very well surprise fans as well.