Detroit Lions 2023 season preview: Improved depth evident everywhere on defense

The Detroit Lions open the regular season Thursday against the Kansas City Chiefs. Here is a position-by-position look at the Lions defense and special teams for 2022:

Defensive line

The Lions don’t have a single dominant presence up front, but they have amassed good depth on their defensive line, especially at the edge rush position.

“That’s something I think about quite a lot to be honest with you, like how do you utilize each player and how can you have different packages with those guys in?” defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. “Who do you put together to be able to schematically do things that you want to do? So, we’re going to continue to do that. I actually love being able to do that because I love being able to see how I can get offenses to react to certain packages that’s in and we’ve been doing a pretty good job of that with the guys we have.”

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Aidan Hutchinson had 9.5 sacks last season and was runner-up for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. He’s the anchor of a young line that features four players with at least one seven-plus-sack season. Charles Harris starts at outside linebacker after missing time with a groin injury last season, James Houston should contribute as a designated pass rusher and Harris’ backup, and John Cominsky is Hutchinson’s selfless partner who moves inside on the many of the Lions’ stunt games.

At defensive tackle, Alim McNeill could be headed for a breakout season after losing 22 pounds and reshaping his body this offseason. He’ll play more out of the three technique, with one of Benito Jones or Isaiah Buggs starting at nose tackle. Levi Onwuzurike is a wild card on the inside after missing all of last season following back surgery. He’s incredibly talented and could give the Lions’ interior pass rush a boost if he can stay healthy.

Linebackers

The Lions spent their second first-round pick, No. 18 overall, on Jack Campbell, but Derrick Barnes played well enough this summer that he may keep Campbell out of the starting lineup. Barnes and Campbell split middle linebacker duties during camp. Barnes is further along as a pass defender for now, while Campbell’s length and closing speed help him as a pass rusher and in the run game.

Alex Anzalone returns for his third year as a starting linebacker, but will play more on the weak side this fall. He had career-highs of 125 tackles and seven for loss last season and played a full compliment of games for just the third time in his career. Malcolm Rodriguez made 15 starts as a rookie but appears to be fourth in the linebacker rotation for now. The Lions may try to get all four inside linebackers reps on defense, and all but Anzalone should contribute on special teams.

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Jalen Reeves-Maybin could play in certain sub packages as well because of his cover skills, but he and Anthony Pittman will contribute primarily in the kicking game. Collectively, the group needs to be better about making impact plays after intercepting one pass, forcing two fumbles and logging 3.5 sacks last year.

Defensive backs

No unit has seen more turnover than the Lions secondary, which added two new starters in free agency and a third in the draft this spring.

At cornerback, Cam Sutton takes over the No. 1 role after a six-year run with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had three interceptions last season — the Lions emphasized adding players with proven takeaway ability — and played primarily on the right side this summer. Jerry Jacobs will open the season as the starting left cornerback, though Emmanuel Moseley looms in reserve. Between Sutton, Jacobs and Moseley, the Lions have three capable outside corners, the best depth they’ve had at the position in years.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions last season, and Kerby Joseph (who had a Lions-leading four picks) give the back end a true playmaking element. Both are rangy players who can patrol the post and both have good ball skills. Rookie second-round pick Brian Branch is ticketed for the slot cornerback role in sub packages. He looked as good as any Lions defensive player, not just rookie, in training camp. And Tracy Walker is back from his torn Achilles tendon to provide depth at the position.

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While those seven should see the bulk of the playing time in the secondary, Swiss Army knife Will Harris also could factor in as a reserve and the Lions are high on young cornerback Steven Gilmore, who made the team as an undrafted rookie.

Special teams

The Lions have been good in just about all aspects of special teams under third-year coordinator Dave Fipp. They pull off a handful of well-executed fakes every year, they ranked top-three in both kick- and punt-return average last season and they have one of the league’s best punters in Jack Fox.

The one area that has been and remains a question mark is place kicking. Riley Patterson won the kicking job after a so-so preseason, but the Lions were less-than-enamored with his performance and re-signed Michael Badgley to the practice squad. Badgley kicked well for the Lions last season, making 20 of 24 field goals. Neither he nor Patterson have reliable legs from long distance, which is something to watch in close games.

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Fox had the lowest net punting average (41.2 ypp) of his career last year, but he cut down on touchbacks and excels on kickoffs and holds. Kalif Raymond emerged as one of the NFL’s best punt returners last season with a 13.2-yard average, second-best in the league. The Lions lost kick returner Josh Jackson to a surprise summer retirement, but have myriad replacement options including running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and Craig Reynolds and cornerback Khalil Dorsey.

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions 2023 season preview: Defense highlighted by line depth