This Detroit Lions DE Is Impacted Most by D.J. Wonnum Signing

Second-year defensive end is going to have to earn playing time.

Detroit Lions defensive end Ahmed Hassanein (61) practices during OTA at team's Performance Center in Allen Park | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Detroit Lions defensive end Ahmed Hassanein has been training regularly in preparation for his second NFL season.

The former sixth-round pick now has added competition for playing time, as general manager Brad Holmes made the decision to ink outside linebacker D.J. Wonnum to a one-year contract.

While Wonnum did not light up the stat sheet in Carolina, he is going to be expected to consistently set the edge and to take advantage of NFL team's double-teaming Aidan Hutchinson.

For Hassanein, his rookie season did not go exactly as planned, as a pre-season injury prevented him from seeing the field his inaugural campaign in Motown.

Detroit is also expected to continue to add more defensive ends to the roster, whether it be in free agency or the draft.

For Hassanein, there has never been expectation that he will simply be put out on the field. He has shared on numerous occasions he wants to be able to earn playing time by proving to the coaches he has a firm understanding of the defensive scheme and what is role is on each and every down.

Having a veteran on the roster can also aid the former Boise State Broncos defensive end in his development.

According to Minnesota Vikings On SI, who wrote a free agent profile in early 2024, "Wonnum is best suited as a team’s third edge rusher, not an every-down starter. He has 23 sacks in four seasons (with Vikings), but many of them, especially prior to 2023, came on plays where he was unblocked or was cleaning up a scrambling quarterback thanks to good coverage on the back end. Wonnum’s PFF grade was a career-best 62.3 in 2023 (60 is average) after three years in the 50s.

"His pass rush win rates have never been particularly impressive. Fascinatingly, he has 7.5 sacks and 41 pressures in eight career games against the Chicago Bears, with 15.5 sacks and 95 pressures in 55 games against everyone else."

Detroit's newest free agent signing spoke about the time he spent with the Carolina Panthers recently.

“I look at it as kind of like a season of growth. Growing in the sense of, ‘It’s not always going to go how you go,’ and kind of being more of a team player, and allowing the guys around me to make plays. And I feel like that’s kind of how it’s been this year," said Wonnum, via The Charlotte Observer. "Just doing my job to the best of my ability.

"Setting the edge, running games correctly, pressuring the quarterback to get him out of his spot. And it’s not always meant for me, other guys make the plays.”