With many names playing key roles in the Detroit Lions’ defensive success, who gets your vote for most important defender right now?
The defense of the Detroit Lions was always going to be centered around Aidan Hutchinson. Five games into the 2024 NFL season, it certainly was. Disaster struck, however, when the star pass rusher suffered a brutal season-ending leg injury. To put into context how dominant Hutchinson was, entering Week 10 of the regular season, he is still among the league leaders in sacks and pressures despite playing four-and-a-half games.
Without their focal point, the burden fell on the rest of the defense. And through eight games, the defense has held its own thanks to contributions from everyone. The pass rush has not returned to its highs under Hutchinson, but you would be hard pressed to say that the Lions are not playing excellent defense right now.
There are multiple names that have stepped up in Hutchinson’s absence. The safety duo of Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch are among the league’s best—Sunday’s game was a mix outing for the duo, with Joseph recording a crucial pick-six but Branch getting ejected following a hit. Carlton Davis is playing great football right now, solidifying a cornerback spot that had previously been a carousel for the Lions. Alex Anzalone and Jack Campbell have formed an incredible linebacking duo in every facet of coverage and defense. Alim McNeill and DJ Reader are a disruptive force in the interior of the defensive line. Levi Onwuzurike has overcome an injury-filled career to become an important part of a banged-up front seven.
The work that defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has done with this group is nothing short of miraculous—please get him a squeegee, however. Glenn deserves a boatload of credit, but so too does the supporting cast. The Lions are not 7-1 without many of the plays and contributions up and down the depth chart.
With so many names playing defense at a high level, which player stands above the rest as the most important piece of the defense right now?
Today’s Question of the Day is:
Who is the most important player on the Detroit Lions defense right now?
My answer: Alim McNeill.
Disruption is the name of the game in the NFL. With Hutchinson in the lineup, the Lions were getting disruptive moments on nearly every play. The Lions lost a lot of firepower when Hutchinson went down, but it has also shined a spotlight on the next-best disruptor on the defense: McNeill.
He is well on his way to earning every penny of his $97 million contract extension. He is a wall in the run game and his pass rushing chops are causing havoc up the middle on a regular basis. McNeill is neck-and-neck with Onwuzurike for second-most pressures on the team behind Hutchinson, yet McNeill is doing this almost exclusively as a defensive tackle. If there was a tracked stat for sack assists, McNeill would be among the league leaders because while he is not always the one to get home, his generated pressure often presents a great opportunity for another defender to secure the sack. If the Lions had a healthy Hutchinson or Marcus Davenport, their sack total of 20 on the season would surely be higher.
While the Lions have already dipped into their depth across the defense, they do not possess a true replacement for McNeill. Reader would certainly see an increased role, but aside from the veteran, the Lions would have to replace him with Mekhi Wingo, Chris Smith, or a currently-injured Brodric Martin. Those three players have a handful of professional snaps between them. The Lions still boast enough depth at cornerback and linebacker should one of their starters go down. While their safety group is somewhat thin, it can be mitigated by their cornerback group, plus the injured Ifeatu Melifonwu is progressing in his recovery and could return at some point down the stretch. If McNeill goes down, then there is chaos. The run defense, already struggling of late, would suffer another blow. The limited pressure being generated in recent weeks would also take a hit.
McNeill is incredibly important for this Lions defense, a true one-of-one on the roster. I do not think the Lions with seven games without his presence on defense.
Which Lions defender is your pick for most important right now? Let us know in the comments below.
