A lot of excitement in camp, per usual, about Aidan Hutchinson. A lot of hype around Derrick Moore. Not much buzz around D.J. Wonnum. That's a good thing, the way Dan Campbell sees it.
The Lions signed Wonnum to be a rock-solid, edge-setting, pocket-crushing defensive end opposite Hutchinson -- a healthy Marcus Davenport, if you will -- and "he's exactly what I expected to get here, to this point," Dan Campbell said Monday as his team kicks off Week 1. The splash plays might be limited, but the impact, the Lions hope, will be significant.
Is Kelvin Sheppard under the most pressure locally? pic.twitter.com/aUqy8mZ4Lo
— 97.1 The Ticket: (@971theticketxyt) September 3, 2026
If Moore, the rookie pass rusher drafted in the second round, projects as Hutchinson's partner in crime, Wonnum, the 6'5 seven-year vet, looks like his enforcer. The three of them almost comprise a well-rounded hockey line: the superstar do-it-all center, the finisher and the grinder in the corners.
"I'm glad we got DJ here," Campbell said. "I don't mean this in a bad way. I mean this in a very good way: it's been kind of a quiet, just steady training camp for him. He's come in and just done his job. He's been very consistent in what we've asked him to do. There's nothing flashy about it, but man, he's a crafty, sneaky, smart veteran football player that understands how to play the run, he's got some slipperiness as a rusher, and I think he's going to complement Hutch very well on the other side."
Wonnum's strength is defending the run, an area that sagged for the Lions last season. Among 125 qualified edge rushers last year, he was tied for 12th in the NFL with 18 run stops, per PFF. (The player he's replacing in Detroit, Al-Quadin Muhammad, was tied for last with two.) He will do the dirty work. But he can still get after the quarterback. He has a pair of 8-sack seasons on his resume and was on pace for another over eight games in 2024.
Dan Campbell on Lions' OL being better equipped than last year to hit the ground running:
"We’ve seen a lot in training camp. We’ve faced a lot of pressure. We’ve done a lot of very stressful, strenuous situations. And I felt like we got what we were looking for out of it." pic.twitter.com/y77Vgmm29N
— 97.1 The Ticket: (@971theticketxyt) September 7, 2026
Especially as Moore finds his NFL footing, Wonnum will be an important piece for Detroit's defense across from Hutchinson. The Lions will be counting on him to produce.
Campbell's "first taste" of Wonnum was during Wonnum's time with the Vikings. He had 20 sacks and 147 tackles over his final three seasons in Minnesota before signing with the Panthers in 2024. Campbell remembers him as more of a "rotational player" back then, "one of those guys, man, a lunch pail guy that's going to give everything he's got, and he plays a smart brand of football."
"I love that about him," said Campbell.
Wonnum will be deployed in a similar fashion by the Lions, rotating in on the other side of Hutchinson with Moore, big end Tyler Lacy and perhaps Ahmed Hassanen as the season unfolds. Together, Wonnum and Moore will also play an important role in spelling Hutchinson now and then as the Lions aim to lighten the workload of their best defensive player.
But most simply, Wonnum is here to stop the run and pressure the passer, and help Hutchinson get home. He might not garner much attention in the process, but he'll earn plenty of praise from Campbell.
