One Detroit Lions DE Whose Stock Is Rising

D.J. Wonnum has provided boost to Detroit Lions pass-rush.

Detroit Lions defensive end D.J. Wonnum (98) closes in on a sack of Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Oct. 11, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Detroit Lions defensive end DJ Wonnum has been a welcome addition to the defensive line. A recent stretch of solid play has the veteran defender trending in the right direction, especially after a solid outing in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals.

Wonnum, a free-agent acquisition of Brad Holmes and the Lions this past offseason, recorded two sacks and three total pressures in the winning effort. And for his performance, he earned a 67.4 Pro Football Focus pass-rush grade, including a season-best 69.6 overall mark.

Additionally, he logged a sack, a couple of pressures and a season-high PFF pass-rush grade of 76.5 in Week 4 against his former team: the Carolina Panthers.

Furthermore, Wonnum possesses five sacks through five games, tied for fourth-most in the NFL and two more than he generated all of last season.

And his pass-rush grade for the 2026 campaign now stands at 65.5, ranking 43rd among 106 qualified EDGE defenders.

Slowly but surely, he's been proving his worth as a pass-rusher; in the process, he's provided a much-needed boost to Detroit's pass-rush unit over the last couple of weeks.

“He’s playing at a high level,” Lions head man Dan Campbell said of the veteran EDGE on 97.1 The Ticket. “I thought he really bounced back from last week. He played really well in the run and certainly in the pass game. He’s creating issues opposite of Hutch (Aidan Hutchinson). And man, he keeps doing that, with the firepower we have on that D-line, and you become very dangerous.”

Quite notably, Wonnum has also provided the Lions with a solid EDGE complement to Hutchinson. And the former Michigan sack artist, who has four sacks to his name so far this season, has certainly taken notice.

“Yeah, I love it,” Hutchinson said of his pass-rushing counterpart. “It's great, because if I get more attention during the game and he's winning his one-on-one's, then teams look at that and go, 'Maybe we don't send the slide here every time. Maybe we gotta switch it up.' So to me, it's a win-win all the way around. We just gotta keep rushing like that and keep playing fast.”

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