It’s only two days into padded practice at Detroit Lions training camp, but there’s a strong feeling the defensive line could be a problem for other teams this year.
If you’ve been following our daily Detroit Lions training camp updates both on the site and Pride of Detroit Direct, you know that the early standouts have largely been along the defensive line. They’ve plugged rushing lanes, put pressure on the quarterback, and just look nasty out there.
Turns out, it isn’t a mirage. Coach Dan Campbell sees it, too—rather, he feels it.
“Man, I can feel the defense. I feel our front,” Campbell said. “You can feel the front is being disruptive. Man, we have violent separation.”
The unit is led by Aidan Hutchinson, who looks just as disruptive as ever. Alim McNeill returns after a career year, and the Lions have made clear he’s a pivotal part of what they do and they want him re-signed for the long-term.
But it’s the emergence of fourth-year defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike that has been the storyline of the offseason. Despite battling through a crippling back injury for his first three seasons, he’s been all over the starting lineup in camp and causing disruption on a daily basis. Campbell made it clear that this increased role was not an attempt to see how much he could handle; this was Onwuzurike earning the playing time.
“He’s earned it, I mean, it’s clear that he’s one of the best,” Campbell said. “I mean, it’s just clear, and he plays with violence, he’s stout, he’s fundamentally better than he’s ever been, and he’s shown that he has some versatility.”
Onwuzurike has stood out among his teammates, too.
“Levi’s been unbelievable, man,” Hutchinson said. “From OTAs, he got his back healthy, and he’s just a force of nature out there. He’s showing it in camp so far. He put the pads on and he’s been great, man. It’s really going to be crucial this year to have him playing at a high level for us to be rolling as a d-line.”
While Onwuzurike deserves a ton of credit for battling through three years of adversity, there’s another added piece this offseason that has helped turn the room around. Listen to any of the media sessions of the defensive linemen, and within a minute, you’ll hear them summon the name of new defensive line coach Terrell Williams.
On Wednesday, Hutchinson credited Williams’ new philosophy for letting them run a little freer to just create havoc. Instead of having to be overly concerned with the exact right technical response to a specific block, Williams is emphasizing havoc.
“All we’re really focused on is getting off the ball, striking blocks and the rest of it will take care of itself,” Hutchinson explained. “I feel like that mindset is very liberating for a lot of d-linemen.”
Hutchinson has been around the team for two seasons now. He knows the defensive line needs to get better. And based on what he’s seen through a week in camp, he believes this group is significantly better than he’s ever seen.
“This year already feels different,” Hutchinson said. “With the new d-line coach, a couple new additions in the room, this is the best I’ve seen us perform in camp up to this point. This is my third camp now here, so it’s really fun to watch. We’re really getting after it, we’re coming off the ball, we’re striking blocks. It’s been a lot of fun this camp, honestly. It feels we have revitalized energy, and it’s amazing.”