Detroit Lions fans might be surprised to know that there are two pass rushers rostered that have nine sacks a piece: Aidan Hutchinson, and Al-Quadin Muhammad.
Hutchinson seems obvious here, but Muhammad's punch has been a welcomed addition to the Lions' defensive line. In a year where some fans felt like the team was losing out having not pursued Za'Darius Smith in the offseason, it's nice to see that another gamble has worked out nicely for general manager Brad Holmes.
Another pass rusher who could provide some welcomed depth to the line just became available by way of the Miami Dolphins, who were just eliminated from the postseason: Matthew Judon. Per NFL Network's Mike Garafalo, Judon could be a nice addition to any team vying for the postseason, such as the Lions.
That doesn't mean they should bite on him.
Lions shouldn't be in on recently waived pass rusher
Judon has zero sacks, ten pressures, and three quarterback hits through 13 games so far this season. He is not at all the same defender he was even last year with the Atlanta Falcons, and would likely be nothing more than a depth piece for a Lions defensive unit that already has something solid in Muhammad.
Of course, there's a lack of consistency with the Lions' D-line this season. While they have good numbers on paper, it's their inability to string together multiple dominant series or games that's been holding their pass rush back. We haven't seen the same explosiveness from Hutchinson that we did back in 2024 prior to his broken leg, and Muhammad has had incredible games in bursts.
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Judon could be a solid answer to the Lions' issue with Marcus Davenport, who has had a quiet season hampered by injuries once again. Adding another veteran to the line to take snaps in place of Davenport could help alleviate the workload on the entire pass rush.
A balanced attack would also help the secondary out, especially if the defensive line could get more stops on the quarterback before they can get a pass off.
Still, it just feels unlikely that the Lions will take a swing here. They've stood back on multiple opportunities to bring in veteran talent to help out their injured secondary, such as with Asante Samuel Jr. or Darius Slay. Lions fans could recite back to you, at this point, the ongoing mantra for this Lions staff and front office regarding new signings: "we're good."