Our Detroit Lions training camp preview series has reached the defensive side of the ball, and in this installment, we stay in the trenches and explore the interior defensive linemen group.
Previous training camp previews:
- QB: Who will win the backup job?
- RB: Sione Vaki transforms the RB room
- WR: 3 big questions
- TE: Who will win the TE3 job?
- OL: Sorting through depth roles
Setting the table
For the previous three seasons, the Lions have tried several different combinations at defensive tackle with middling results. They have gotten increasingly better at stopping the run—they were one of the best in the NFL in 2023—but have had little to no interior pass rush beyond Alim McNeill.
They’ve invested three Day 2 draft picks at the position in McNeill, Levi Onwuzurike, and Brodric Martin, but only McNeill has seen consistent snaps, as Onwuzurike has battled through injuries, and Martin is still working through his learning curve. As a result, the Lions have ended up leaning on replacement-level players like Tyson Alualu, Benito Jones, and Isaiah Buggs for starter snaps. While all three drafted players are still under contract, Alualu, Jones, and Buggs did not return to Detroit in 2024.
In free agency, the Lions made one of their biggest moves of the offseason by signing DJ Reader to a two-year contract. His addition is expected to stabilize the Lions' starting group up front while taking some of the pressure off McNeill. Also in free agency, the Lions added Kyle Peko and re-signed Chris Smith (a UDFA in 2023) to a futures contract. In the NFL Draft, the Lions selected Mekhi Wingo in the sixth round, giving the team another interior pass rusher to help fill a hole in their defense.
Roster construction
Over the past three seasons under the Dan Campbell/Brad Holmes regime, the Lions have fluctuated in the amount of interior defensive linemen that have been kept on the roster, though their usage philosophy has remained consistent.
In 2021, the Lions rostered five defensive tackles but typically only leaned on three or four on game days. If the Lions were playing a pass-heavy offense, they would often keep just three interior defensive linemen active, while the Lions countered run-heavy offenses with four interior players.
In 2022, the Lions started the season with six defensive tackles but it wasn’t long before the group was reduced to four and they played with just three active on game days for the majority of the season.
In 2023, the Lions kept five defensive tackles and showed more of their 2021 strategy of matching offenses with the quantity of interior defensive linemen active on game day. On the practice squad, the Lions typically kept just one interior trench player, which matches previous seasons.
The battleground
In 2024, if the Lions follow their previous patterns of roster construction, they would keep five defensive tackles on the active roster and another on the practice squad. Essentially, that potentially means, six of the seven interior defenders on the current roster could end up sticking with Detroit this season.
With McNeill and Reader locked into starting roles, the depth players will be fighting for their spots on the depth chart in training camp.
Levi Onwuzurike vs. Mekhi Wingo
A back injury bothered Onwuzurike during his rookie year and cost him his sophom*ore season entirely. Last season, the Lions took it slow with him, and he filled the DT4 role, and was active or inactive on game days depending on the Lions' opponent. Late in the season, to his credit, he showed glimpses of the talent that got him drafted in the second round and enters training camp looking healthy and ready to contribute.
Wingo’s game is similar to Onwuzurike—both in athletic profile and play style—and they figure to push each other for snaps. The rookie is certainly undersized for the position, but he has a burst that is difficult to match and he uses his size to his advantage by leveraging offensive linemen on pass rushes.
With Onwuzurike finally healthy and in a contract year, he’ll be plenty motivated to make some noise in training camp. As a veteran, he’ll start higher in the rotation and will have an early lead to snaps. Wingo will have to work his way up the depth chart—as all rookies do in Detroit—but he has the work ethic and base skill set to carve out a unique role on defense.
I expect both players to have an above-average chance to make the roster, with Onwuzurike likely ending up higher on the depth chart. But Wingo will certainly have a path to snaps and could end up using for time earlier than most expect.
Brodric Martin vs. development
After drafting Martin in the third round and keeping him on the roster all season, he likely has an inside edge for a spot on this season’s 53-man roster. He was only active three games in 2023 and played just 28 defensive snaps, but at 6-foot-5, 330+ pounds, Martin is an impressive interior presence. Martin was inactive most games because his technique was unrefined and coaches have repeatedly noted this as an area for improvement.
While Reader and McNeill can both play nose tackle, amongst the reserves, the Lions don’t have another pure nose tackle on the roster other than Martin. This should open up an opportunity for the second-year player, but the question is, will he be ready to seize that opportunity?
It would be a surprise to see the Lions bail on Martin heading into his second season, but if he’s going to get playing time, he’ll need to take some positive steps in his development.
Chris Smith vs. Kyle Peko
Entering training camp, McNeill, Reader, Onwuzurike, Wingo, and Martin will likely be the early favorites for spots on the 53-man roster, leaving Smith and Peko on the outside looking in. Not only will they be fighting to break into the active roster but they will also be battling each other for a potential spot on the practice squad.
Both Smith and Peko are similar in their play styles, as neither has a true home at just one position on the defensive line. They can both line up anywhere from the nose to the 5-technique, but they don’t excel at any one spot. The positional flexibility is certainly helpful to their cases—and lends itself to a reserve or practice squad spot—but with no unique trait to separate them into a specific role, it’ll be tough to stand out.
