Discussion: Which two Lions will lead the team in sacks this season?

With the Detroit Lions spending time with the Jacksonville Jaguars this week, it felt appropriate to highlight Aidan Hutchinson in some way, given the presence of Travon Walker, whom the Jaguars surprisingly took ahead of Hutchinson with the first-overall pick of last year’s draft.

Both players should have a long way to go in their careers, but by most measures, Hutchinson had the much better rookie season. One of those areas was sacks, where the Lions star logged an impressive 9.5 compared to Walker’s 3.5. While sometimes we look at more holistic impacts, I do think sacks are still a significant measure, as PFF has studied before, so we will roll with that metric today.

Today’s Question of the Day is:

Which two Lions will lead the team in sacks this season?

My answer: Clearly this question is really just asking who is going to be number two on this list. The candidates are all likely to be edge rushers, as while players like Alim McNeill and Isaiah Buggs will not be strangers in the backfield, any sacks they accumulate this season will be more of a bonus than a requirement.

Last year it was Houston who came up big, nearly matching Hutchinson’s total (8) in just seven games. That immediately puts him on the radar for this season, and the sophomore should get plenty of chances to cause havoc. Aside from him, I like Charles Harris’s chances. While he only had one sack in a limited 2022, he did record 7.5 the season prior. Hutchinson and Harris could absolutely be a great duo along the line.

What do you think? Is there a different edge rusher who deserves some love? Or is there a sleeper candidate somewhere else across the defense? Sound off in the comment section at the bottom of the page.