Lions' First Quarter Grades: Defense

Evaluating Lions' defensive performance through four games.

Detroit Lions defenders against Seattle Seahawks. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions have entered their bye week with a 3-1 record.

In a 17-game season, this represents just under an official quarter of the NFL season. However, with the bye coming in Week 5, the next time they take the field the regular season will indeed be over a quarter of the way finished.

As a result, the week off offers the perfect opportunity to look back at the start that Detroit has had to the 2024 season.

Here are grades for each defensive position group based on performance in the Lions' first four games.

Defensive line: B+

The Lions have seen an uptick in production from their pass rush after last season, when they finished near the bottom of the league in sacks. A big part of that has been the play of Aidan Hutchinson. The Michigan product said leading up to the season that he felt he was hitting another gear, and that has been exactly the case.

Through four weeks, Hutchinson leads the league in sacks (6.5) and pressures (40). He leads in pressures by a wide margin, as Denver's Zach Allen is the second-highest with 23. Hutchinson has performed at elite level, with a league-best 35.4 PFF pass rush win rate amongst players with at least 35 snaps.

Hutchinson has the benefit of working next to the talented defensive tackle group that Detroit has assembled. DJ Reader has steadily experienced an uptick in workload since debuting in Week 2, while Alim McNeill has been steady.

Levi Onwuzurike has also enjoyed a solid start to the campaign. After injuries limited him through his first three season, the Washington product has 16 pressures and 1.5 sacks through four games.

As a unit, the Lions' defense has been solid against the run. They've yet to allow a 100-yard rusher and rank fourth in the league and average rushing yards allowed. Had Kenneth Walker not exposed some flaws with his tough running style, the defensive line could've been in the running for an 'A' grade.

Moving forward to the next phase of the season, Detroit will need to find the reliable counterpart for Hutchinson that it hoped Marcus Davenport would be. Davenport was lost for the season with a torn triceps, and Josh Paschal is the next man up at this point.

If Paschal is unable to pack the punch, however, the Lions will need to continue evaluating its options to find a player capable of helping to execute their process of crushing the pocket.

Linebackers: B

Through the first quarter of the season, perhaps no position group on the roster has relied more on its depth than the linebackers. Alex Anzalone missed Week 3, and Derrick Barnes is on injured reserve with a knee injury.

As a result, the Lions have explored all the options on their roster. Anzalone and Jack Campbell will be the mainstays, but Detroit is comfortable trotting out the two of them with any combination of Malcolm Rodriguez, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Ben Niemann and Trevor Nowaske.

Anzalone and Campbell are tied-for-second on the team in tackles with 24. Campbell has shown improvement since his rookie campaign and came through in a big way with a forced fumble in Week 4 against Seattle.

Rodriguez has been the top performer of the other options. He stepped into the starting lineup after Barnes' injury and while he doesn't have the versatility that Barnes offers, he does have plenty of ability when it comes to stuffing the run.

As long as Barnes is out of the lineup, Detroit will miss his ability to do a number of different things within the parameters of the scheme. However, the coaching staff trusts its depth and this group should be able to withstand injuries due to the vast array of talent it has.

Cornerbacks: B-

One of the biggest storylines surrounding the Lions leading up to the 2024 campaign was the revamped secondary, as multiple new faces were set to play key roles. The pass defense was one of the NFL's worst last season, and the Lions sought to improve the production at that spot last season.

Through four games, the results have been mixed. Detroit leads the league with eight defensive pass interference calls against them. Rookie Terrion Arnold has eight penalties called against him this season, which ranks second among all NFL players regardless of position.

Arnold has shown flashes of the talent that made Detroit covet him and has the necessary mindset to recover from struggles, but he must improve his usage of hands while in coverage. This is a skill that an be refined, so there's a good chance he fixes this as the season progresses.

Carlton Davis has been better than his 60.2 overall defensive grade suggests. He has been every bit the physical player Detroit hoped he'd be, and leads the team in tackles with 28. However, he too has struggled at times with his hand usage and has drawn multiple flags.

Free agent addition Amik Robertson won the team's competition at the nickel spot and has shown off the toughness Detroit desired. He has had some lapses, but his nose for the ball is encouraging and he also has the versatility to play multiple spots if needed.

Ennis Rakestraw and Kindle Vildor have stepped in at times of need, but neither has put together a noteworthy workload of reps.

Safeties: A-

Detroit elected to move Brian Branch to the safety spot in an effort to get him involved even more defensively. So far, the tandem of he and Kerby Joseph has been superb.

Joseph is breaking out, with three interceptions through four games. Part of this breakout is no doubt his instincts coming to fruition, but some of it can also be credited to Branch's presence.

With Branch patrolling all over the field, Joseph can take more chances knowing that he has insurance in the sure-tackling Branch. Together, the two make a solid pairing.

When Branch missed Detroit's Week 4 game, the Lions displayed plenty of confidence in Brandon Joseph. The 2023 undrafted free agent played all but one snap and figures to be a key depth piece, at least until Ifeatu Melifonwu returns from injured reserve.

It has been an unfortunate start to the year for Melifonwu, who was a breakout player at the end of last season. He has been dealing with an ankle injury suffered in training camp and has yet to make his season debut.