There were a few brief scuffles between the offensive and defensive lines during last Thursday’s open minicamp practice, which amounted to little more than pushing and shoving before head coach Dan Campbell called the squad together for a meeting.
Pro Bowl edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson was asked about it after practice, and he stated the minor scuffles are part of Detroit’s larger defensive philosophy heading into 2024.
“Just trying to change the mindset on defense,” Hutchinson added.
“More aggressive, riled up, or fired up?” a reporter inquired.
“Yeah,” Hutchinson responded. “Just a mindset like that.”
An aggressive defense is a dangerous defense, and that’s the mindset defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has going into 2024. Glenn hopes to play a more smothering style of man defense this season, and the ability to marry the pass rush and cover in the secondary is critical to that.
“It’s smothering when it comes to defense and that’s who I am as a coach,” Glenn said last week. “I like to smother the offense.”
That mentality, plus all the additions the Lions made on that side of the football this season, has Detroit’s defensive players entering the season with a different mindset and the belief they can take a step to being one of the more consistent units in the NFL.
“I feel like last year he definitely at some point in that season he really turned to his true self of being an aggressive play caller. I think that definitely helped us out a lot,” Hutchinson said of Glenn and the defense last season.
“It improved our defense. It’s exciting to be an aggressive defense with a coach that is willing to put everything on the line, and when you keep adding great players to that same unit, those plays can only be performed at a greater level.”
Later in the season, Glenn used the blitz to target offenses and generate additional pressure. While it did provide the desired pressure, it also resulted in some big plays against the pass in one-on-one coverage behind it.
Glenn and the Lions believe they have significantly improved their secondary by adding veteran cornerbacks Carlton Davis III and Amik Robertson, as well as drafting cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. with Detroit’s first two picks.
Combine that with the acquisitions of veterans DJ Reader and Marcus Davenport upfront to join Hutchinson and Alim McNeill, the healthy return of James Houston, and the continued development of young players like Josh Paschal.Breaking :
