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.”
Ahead of retirement, Shaquille Leonard's former teammates celebrate impact 'generational talent' made on and off the field
Leonard, a three-time first-team AP All-Pro, will retire as a member of the Colts at halftime of Sunday's Week 5 game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Lucas Oil Stadium.
As rookie linebackers in 2018, Shaquille Leonard and Zaire Franklin were roommates on the road. Prior to their second game in the NFL, Franklin got sick – and he was snoring so loud at night the only place Leonard could find enough relief to sleep was in the bathtub of the hotel room they shared.
Despite his porcelain mattress, Leonard went out the next day against Washington and had 19 tackles with a sack, a pass break-up and a forced fumble. Those 19 tackles stood – and will stand – as the most he ever had in a game.
Nothing could stop Leonard, it seemed. He won the 2018 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, was named a first-team AP All-Pro three times and made three Pro Bowls. He's the only player in NFL history to total 15+ sacks, 15+ forced fumbles and 10+ interceptions in a 60-game span, which he did from 2018-2021.
"He was a rare talent the linebacker position," defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said. I mean, the ballhawk he was, the game changer he was, you just knew he brought confidence to the defense, like extreme confidence – knowing no matter what's going to happen, we're going to turn the ball over no matter what and I know No. 53 is going to make a play."
But Leonard's more-than-promising career was cut cruelly short due to injury. He last played in 2023; on Sunday, Leonard will retire at halftime of the Colts' Week 5 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
To those that played with him and knew him, though, Leonard's career – which lasted just six seasons – is not some tale of what could've been had his body not broken down.
"It's not really a what-if because he played the game how it's supposed to," Franklin said. "He worked as hard as he possibly could. He gave every single thing that he had to this game. I watched him limp around here with one foot and go take the ball away in eight straight games.
"I don't really know if he even lives in a what-if world — obviously, I would've loved if he could've been there and we could've continued to play together for a number of years. But he's a person that never cheated the game, never cheated the grind. He worked as hard as he could and gave everything he could. I think he took everything form the game that he could."
Fellow Colts linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. – who's back on the Colts' practice squad after starting next to Leonard from 2018-2020 – described Leonard as "one of the best players I've seen in my lifetime."
Running back Jonathan Taylor reflected on Leonard as "one of the best players that I've ever played with."
And Buckner, Leonard's teammate from 2020-2023, said Leonard was a "generational talent."
But Leonard wasn't someone who was content to just make an impact on the field. He dedicated himself to improving the communities he called home, whether that was his hometown of Lakeview, S.C. or his adopted hometown of Indianapolis. Leonard was the Colts' Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee in 2022, and in addition to the work he did through his Maniac Foundation, he was a key voice as part of the Colts' Kicking The Stigma mental health initiative.
Leonard's vulnerability about his own mental health journey has had a massive impact, showing mental health can affect anyone – even a star football player.
"That was his ultimate goal, right, to give back and just be a pillar for the community," Walker said. "He did that in a huge way."
Franklin and Leonard both are members of Omega Psi Phi, a historically Black fraternity, and one of the pillars of Omega Psi Phi is to uplift others. Leonard has gone and beyond to embody that pillar.
"One thing about Shaq that we both realized about each other was, we both truly believe that it's bigger than us," Franklin, the Colts' 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee, said. "When you're from a town of 1,000 people, I think he got one stop sign, man — that's an inspiration to come from Lakeview, South Carolina and to come here and make a name for yourself and change the game. Having an impact on the field was obviously extremely important to him, but we learn to lift as we climb. And as he climbed, he continued to lift up his community in a positive way."
Leonard packed a lot into his six seasons with the Colts – tackles, punch-outs, interceptions, awards, community events, etc. Maybe you'll think about his career as a what-if, seeing as when he retires on Sunday, he'll do so at the age of 30. But those who know Leonard will remember his playing career for the impact he made much more than how long he was on the field.
"I'm just happy for him, bro," Franklin said. "I know he went through a lot of torment the last few years with his body, just trying to get that ready to play. And man, I'm glad he's getting the flowers that he deserves. He's a great player and impacted the city in a positive way."
