Lions EDGE D.J. Wonnum: What I Bring Will Free Hutchinson Up

This offseason, Detroit and Brad Holmes have been hard at work trying to retool a Lions team that fell short of expectations after a record-breaking 2024 season.

One of the main questions that Brad Holmes continues to face is how to address the gaping hole for a second EDGE rusher opposite Aidan Hutchinson.

The trio of Marcus Davenport, Al-Quadin Muhammad and Tyrus Wheat have all departed the room, with Muhammad signing with the Buccaneers.

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However, Holmes has made some moves, re-signing Myles Adams. The much bigger move, though, came through signing former Minnesota Vikings and Carolina Panthers DE D.J. Wonnum to a one-year deal in free agency.

Wonnum enters on a “prove-it” deal, and he gets aided by having Hutchinson work opposite him.

Wonnum also believes his skillset complements Hutchinson, with the new Lions defensive end proud of his all-around ability and physicality.

“That guy (Hutchinson), he’s relentless, man,” Wonnum said. “He does everything. Gets after the passer, makes plays in the run, in the backfield, you know what I’m saying? He drops in coverage every now and then, but not much. My game is kind of similar, cause I’m able to rush. I’m very physical on the edge, not many people are running that way. I’m also able to drop in coverage and make plays, I make plays all over the field. I feel like we’ll be able to complement each other.”

That said, Wonnum is not expecting to be the only one who benefits from Hutchinson’s high motor. The South Carolina product expects his ability will also free up the pass-rusher.

“It creates a lot of opportunities,” Wonnum explained. “Just the elite pass-rusher and elite playmaker he is, it gets him a lot more attention in the chips, and like different things like that. I feel like what I bring, it will allow me to free him up at times, as well.”

Wonnum has 30 sacks in his career, and has seen a lot more action as a stand-up pass-rusher with Carolina (also known as a “two-point” rusher).

However, he revealed that Detroit is planning on utilizing him in the three-point stance, or having his hand down before the ball is snapped to make him more explosive.

While the two-point makes him more cognizant of what is going on around the end, the three-point makes him more explosive.

“I’ve done both (forms of rushing). I did the three-point a lot, early in my career,” Wonnum revealed. “Then, later in my career, two-point. The two-point just allows me to see a lot more. It allows me to see more, what the offense is going to try to do to me. What they’re trying to, to crack-block me, or chip me, just to see like different things. It allows me to use my mind and see what is going to happen before it happens. Obviously, I want to implement getting back in that three-point stance, which is going to allow me to have more burst getting off the line. Being able to do both this year will be big for me.”

Lions taking look at local product at EDGE, Linebacker

On Thursday, Michigan State football held its Pro Day. With East Lansing around an hour from Motown, it was obvious that the Lions would be in attendance.

While the main attraction was interior offensive lineman Matt Gulbin, one defender stood out to Detroit, too.

Quindarius Dunnigan, a two-year contributor for the Spartans and 2025 team captain, turned heads with a 4.75 time in the 40-yard dash.

It was in enough of the “tweener” range for the Lions to be one of five teams to request Dunnigan participate in linebacker drills.

Dunnigan recorded nine sacks over his final four years of college football, along with 104 tackles (26 for loss) from 2022-25.

In his two seasons in the Big Ten, Dunnigan amassed 3.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss.