Last season, the Detroit Lions pass rush was inconsistent at best. Defensive end Anthony Zettel started off the 2017 season strong but had no production after the bye week. Premier pass rusher Ezekiel Ansah had three games where he recorded 3.0 sacks each, but was injured or nonproductive for much of the season.
The rest of the Lions defense did not show much promise when it came to getting to the quarterback. After bringing in Matt Patricia as a head coach this offseason, the defense went through a major change.
Detroit moved on from many of their defensive linemen after the 2017 season and brought in players like linebacker Devon Kennard, plus defensive tackles Sylvester Williams and Ricky Jean-Francois to play in their new scheme.