Lions Found Two Defensive Ends to Play Opposite of Aidan Hutchinson

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell raised some eyebrows when he repeatedly stated "we're good" to describe how he felt about the team's depth at defensive end.

After veteran Marcus Davenport was placed on the injured reserve list, two defensive ends have filled in admirably.

Al-Quadin Muhammad was praised this week by defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard. This season, the 30-year-old has recorded 3.5 sacks and is viewed by the coaching staff as more than "just another guy" the team is throwing out there.

"I think we all know that we have a guy opposite of Hutch now. I think we’re pretty safe to say that Muhammad is a guy opposite Hutch, not just another guy we’re throwing out there," said Sheppard. "But he’s been tremendous. I mean, you’ve literally seen Muhammad line up at the nose, the three-technique, the edge, and hasn’t batted an eye.

"He’s gotten run game in there, it hasn’t just been pass rush. I’ve seen him drop a knee and anchor. I mean, just anything you’ve asked that guy to do. And like I said, where he is in his career, to see him kind of ascending in a way is a credit to (defensive line coach) Kacy Rodgers, but more importantly, it’s a credit to Muhammad, man. Head down, he’s been a grinder since day one ever since I’ve met him.”

Tyler Lacy was primarily used as a defensive tackle during his stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Now in Detroit, the defender caught Sheppard's attention during individual drills.

Detroit's new defensive coordinator suggested to Lacy the team may utilize him to play at the strongside edge position opposite of Aidan Hutchinson.

After two solid performances, the team is encouraged by Lacy's growth.

As Sheppard explained to reporters, "He’s been tremendous. He’s growing on me every week. And he’s getting more and more every week. It’s just the big body at first when he walked in here. You see this huge man, you think, 'Oh, he’s a defensive tackle.' And then you kind of start to see him in individual move around, and I started to ask him, ‘Have you ever played D-end?’ And at first he looked at me and was like, ‘What? No. What do you mean D-end?’ And I’m like, 'Oh, just a thought.’ And then the next week I went up to him again, ‘How would you feel if I told you I needed you to play the five?’ ‘Good, coach.’ And at that point, I don’t think he cared what I asked."

Lacy was waived by the Jaguars and was claimed by Detroit just after the league's initial 53-man roster deadline.

"I could’ve said safety and he would’ve said, ‘I’m good, coach.’ Because he’s a guy who’s been around this League that hasn’t been afforded many opportunities, and he knows this is his second shot at the apple after coming into the League from Oklahoma State," said Sheppard. "And he allows us versatility is what he allows us.

"To be a certain, what looks like big packages, and kind of morph those into sub-groupings. The same way that I speak of (Derrick Barnes) D-Barnes, you could speak of Lacy, to a certain degree, as far as the versatility that he provides for our base defense.”

Eagles Get Excellent News On Key Starting Trio Ahead Of Week 5

The Philadelphia Eagles are heading into another tough game in week 5, this time against the 2-2 Denver Broncos who are looking to get back past .500 after a dominating 28-3 win against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night.

This is not the first tough game they’ve faced this season so far, having been put to the test against the Los Angeles Rams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the reigning three-time AFC Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs already to start the 2025 campaign.

Concern Abated Over Key Trio’s Injuries

However, things will hopefully look a little more rosy this week, as the team has gotten strong injury news on three key starters: defensive tackle Jalen Carter, tight end Dallas Goedert and right tackle, Lane Johnson.

All three were limited in practice on Wednesday, and Goedert was also limited on Thursday. Yet, come Friday’s injury report, per the team’s official site, it seems like none of them have even been listed as questionable, and all are set to start this Sunday against Denver.

Both Carter and Johnson suffered shoulder injuries in the win against Tampa Bay last week. Johnson did not manage to return to the game, whist Carter came back late into the lineup.

Goedert, on the other hand, picked up a knee injury midweek, popping up on Wednesday when he did not practice. Things have seemingly improved over the past couple of days, and the former second round pick looks to once again be the main man at tight end, and hopefully encourage the continued development of the faltering passing game in Philadelphia.

What Will The Eagles Look Like In Week 5?

With no players on the injury report listed as questionable, doubtful or out, things are certainly once again looking great for a Philadelphia team that has managed to broadly stay very healthy since the start of their Super Bowl-winning Super Bowl campaign.

The passing game was once again an issue in week 4 against the Bucs – notably in the second half, where quarterback, Jalen Hurts went 0-8 as the team managed to fend off an insurgent Tampa Bay comeback to just about escape with victory.

But with all their key players in and healthy, including Johnson, who missed much of the latter stages of the game last weekend – things should be in place for the Eagles to perform well on Sunday against the Broncos.

That’s not to say everyone is happy and feeling good in the City of Brotherly Love. Third year edge rusher, Nolan Smith, ended up on injured reserve earlier this season with a triceps injury suffered against the Rams, re-aggravating the same issue that originally came up during Super Bowl LIX, where the Eagles beat the Chiefs 40-22.

Former third round pick and inside linebacker, Nakobe Dean, has also spent time on IR to open up the season, as he continues to recover from a torn patella tendon suffered against Green Bay in the playoffs in January, although his 21-day window to return to the active roster was activated back on Wednesday.

 

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