Which mid-season signing will make the biggest impact for the Detroit Lions?
It is not uncommon for the bottom of an NFL team’s depth chart to get reshuffled over the course of a season. It is very rare that a team has to make a patchwork roster like the 2024 Detroit Lions.
Instead of shuffling their depth pieces, the Lions have been forced to shuffle many of their starters after an endless onslaught of injuries. The Lions’ once-promising depth at defensive line and linebacker is gone. Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, John Cominsky, and Kyle Peko are on the Injured Reserve. So too is rookie Mekhi Wingo. The linebackers are missing Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, and now Malcolm Rodriguez. And currently, Josh Paschal and Levi Onwuzurike have unclear injury outlooks.
With so many injuries, the Lions have had to bring in countless new names. Al-Quadin Muhammad, Isaiah Thomas, Jonah Williams, and Myles Adams are among the players now making up most of the defensive line. Ezekiel Turner, David Long, and Kwon Alexander have been added to the linebacking corps, with newly-signed Jamal Adams potentially contributing as a box defender as well. It’s one thing to add two or three new names to a defense, but to add more than three per position group is absurd.
The Lions have been snakebit by injuries this season, and the mantle of maintaining their superb record will fall on these newly signed players. And that brings us to today’s Question of the Day:
Which mid-season signing will make the biggest impact for the Detroit Lions?
My answer: Al-Quadin Muhammad.
Muhammad was one of the Lions’ first mid-season depth signings this season. The Lions had lost Derrick Barnes two weeks prior, but the signing of Muhammad to the practice squad was more opportunistic than reactive. The opportunity for Mohammad came sooner than most expected or hoped. Hutchinson broke his leg the following week, further hindering a defensive line already missing Davenport.
After experimenting with undrafted rookie Isaac Ukwu against the Minnesota Vikings, Muhammad got the start against the Tennessee Titans the week after due to Paschal’s illness. He had a great debut six-pressure performance, but he fell off in Week 9 and 10 before being inactive. It took until Week 13 for him to return to the lineup, this time recording five pressures and a sack against the Chicago Bears.
It was this performance against the Bears that has me believing he will be the most important mid-season signing. The Lions have been gutted along the front seven, so getting any reliable contributions from their pass rushers is a must going forward. Against Chicago, Muhammad was more than a mere body in the lineup. He was one of the most effective pass rushers on the day, while also contributing in coverage on a few occasions. With the health of Paschal and Onwuzurike in question, Muhammad is suddenly one of the longest-tenured Lions pass rushers on the active roster. Za’Darius Smith will obviously be heavily involved down the stretch, but it looks like Muhammad will be another important contributor on defense.
Which mid-season reinforcement will prove to be the most important for the Lions? Let us know in the comments below.
