Our 2025 Detroit Lions recap and 2026 offseason preview moves to the defensive side of the ball. With the change at offensive coordinator already this offseason, the defensive side of the ball has been a little ignored thus far. But don\u2019t get it twisted, there\u2019s still a lot of work to do on that side of the ball, and it starts\u2014yet again\u2014with the edge position.<\/p>\n
Lions 2025 recap: Defensive end<\/p>\n
Aidan Hutchinson stats (17 games, 17 starts): 54 tackles, 14.5 sacks, 1 INT, 4 FF91.9 PFF grade \u2014 4th out of 119 qualifying EDGEs92.2 pass rush grade \u2014 4th70.6 run defense grade \u2014 28thAl-Quadin Muhammad stats (16 games, 9 starts): 25 tackles, 11.0 sacks74.2 PFF grade \u2014 30th71.9 pass rush grade \u2014 32nd59.3 run defense grade \u2014 DNQ (only 83 snaps)Marcus Davenport stats (8 games, 3 starts): 14 tackles, 1.0 sack52.4 PFF grade \u2014 103rd55.8 pass rush grade \u2014 102nd51.9 run defense grade \u2014 99thTyler Lacy stats (10 games, 4 starts): 21 tackles, 1.0 sack58.5 PFF grade \u2014 DNQ51.3 pass rush grade65.2 run defense grade<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s start with the good news. Aidan Hutchinson was back from his injury and didn\u2019t miss a step. While there were pockets when he\u2019d disappear for stretches, the entirety of his year was still borderline elite. Despite facing the fourth-highest rate of chips among all defensive linemen<\/a>, Hutchinson finished the season with the most pressures, both according to PFF and NFL Pro. His 14.5 sacks ranked fourth in the NFL, and his four forced fumbles were tied for second-most. No surprise he\u2019s nominated for two post-season NFL Awards<\/a>: Defensive Player of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year.<\/p>\n Al-Quadin Muhammad also had a career year as a pass rusher. The veteran pass rusher came into the season with just 15.0 sacks in his seven-year career. He managed to hit 11.0 sacks in 2025, an impressive total considering he played just 457 snaps. By comparison, Hutchinson played 1,005 snaps. However, the Lions predominantly used him as a pass rusher, as he logged just 83 snaps on running plays.<\/p>\n Instead, the Lions spent much of the season searching for an early-down edge defender they could trust opposite Hutchinson. With Levi Onwuzurike and Josh Paschal out for the season and Marcus Davenport again missing time to injury\u2014and not looking great when he returned\u2014Detroit turned to Tyler Lacy early and often. While he can set an edge decently and is above average in the run game, he provided very little pass rush. In 113 pass rush snaps, he produced just six total pressures, per PFF.<\/p>\n As a team, the Lions did have a lot of sacks (49, t-fourth) and pressures (234, sixth), but that can be attributed at least partially due to their coverage, which forced quarterbacks to hold onto the ball longer. Per NFL Pro, quarterbacks took the fourth-longest to throw against the Lions (2.92), and Detroit\u2019s pressure took the third-longest to get there (2.86 seconds).<\/p>\n Currently under contract<\/a>:<\/p>\n Aidan Hutchinson (2030)Josh Paschal (2026)Tyler Lacy (2026)Ahmed Hassanein (2026)Marcus Davenport (unrestricted)Al-Quadin Muhammad (unrestricted)Tyrus Wheat (restricted)Pat O\u2019Connor (street free agent, can sign anywhere now)<\/p>\n Note: I\u2019ll talk more about Onwuzurike in the defensive tackle article, even though he will likely get looks at EDGE. <\/p>\n The Lions are left with Hutchinson in the cabinet and not much else. Paschal saw his contract toll for another year in Detroit<\/a>, but given his lack of production in his four rookie contract years, he should not be considered a guarantee to make the roster. Lacy could stick around as a rotational player, and Hassanein will essentially be entering 2026 as rookie season 2.0 after missing most of 2025. Any production outside Hutchinson should be considered minimal for the group they currently have.<\/p>\n