It was a race to the quarterback. That was how Skyler Gill-Howard described it. Less than a minute remained in the second quarter of the Detroit Lions' preseason 17-13 victory over the Washington Commanders on Saturday, Aug. 22.
The Commanders, hunting for more points before the half, faced third down at midfield. Out of the shotgun, Commanders QB Sam Hartman took the snap and dropped back. Gill-Howard, crouched on the right side, pounced off the line — ramming two linemen backwards and collapsing the pocket in front of him. As Hartman veered left to escape, the Lions’ rookie interior tackle tried to peel away and track him down.
But before he could, fellow rookie Derrick Moore swooped in from the right edge and got to their target. Moore dragged
Hartman to the turf and pried the ball loose for a sack-fumble. The 10-yard loss killed the drive. Detroit’s tenacious front had extinguished it.
“There's a lot of promise in that defensive line that we have,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said afterward. “And there's a lot of guys.”
Campbell had just watched a bunch of them wreak havoc Saturday. Gill-Howard, a sixth-round pick, repeatedly bulled his way into the backfield. He pressured and hit Hartman at one point, foiling Washington’s attempt to convert a third down. He also smothered running back Kaytron Allen for a 3-yard loss later in the game. He even teamed up with DJ Wonnum on a first-quarter sack, albeit one negated by penalty.
Wonnum, the veteran edge defender who was one of the Lions’ top free-agent acquisitions this March, also made his presence felt. On Washington’s second play from scrimmage, he dropped QB Jayden Daniels for a 10-yard loss after beating tight end John Bates to the inside.
Then there was Moore, the former Michigan star making his preseason debut. He flashed repeatedly. He also was one of three defensive linemen who produced two pressures. Levi Onwuzurike and Ahmed Hassanein were the others.
The constant penetration from multiple sources was an encouraging development for a team that, in 2025, had the seventh-worst pass rush win rate and finished with the third-highest time-to-pressure average.
The Lions recognized they had a problem consistently getting to the quarterback and they set out to address it this past offseason. The goal was to relieve the burden placed on two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who was often the only reliable supplier of hurries and sacks. Hutchinson was chipped at the fifth-highest rate in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus, and double-teamed frequently, too. So, the Lions signed Wonnum. They then drafted Moore in the second round. A day after Moore came aboard, they selected Texas Tech's Gill-Howard, a lighter defensive tackle who had shown he had the ability to push the pocket. After the Lions didn’t bring back DJ Reader and Roy Lopez, the addition of Gill-Howard offered the latest clue the organization had begun to phase out the hulking, run-stuffing model of interior linemen it employed and instead was looking to acquire a more athletic prototype who could shoot gaps.
“He’s 100 miles per hour,” general manager Brad Holmes said in April of Gill-Howard. “He’s not the biggest guy, but he’s quick, he’s relentless, he’s instinctive, and he can win quick.”
Alim McNeill, who has been the team’s most disruptive tackle during Campbell’s tenure, recently offered a similar evaluation.
“He is going to run through you,” McNeill told the Free Press. “He is going to run around you.”
Gill-Howard said his “high motor” is his best asset.
“He plays snap to whistle,” Campbell gushed.
If he continues to perform like he did Saturday, he could add a new dimension to a defensive line that already appears deeper and mightier than it was at any point last season. McNeill, more than 19 months removed from knee surgery, looks back to his old self. Tyleik Williams, McNeill’s neighbor on the interior, has shown signs of improvement heading into his second year. Hassanein, with a team-high seven pressures and two sacks over the first two preseason games, has given the impression he can contribute to the rotation at edge – a position suddenly stockpiled with capable players.
“I like where we’re at,” Campbell said two days before the Lions faced Washington.
Campbell must have felt even better Saturday, especially after he witnessed the final play of the first half.
From his vantage point on the sideline, he saw Gill-Howard and Moore converge as they hunted down the opposing quarterback.
“It was awesome,” Gill-Howard said.
Campbell, it’s safe to assume, probably agreed.
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin on X.
Next up: Colts
Matchup: Lions (1-1) at Indianapolis (0-1-1); preseason finale.
Kickoff: 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29; Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis.
TV/radio: WJBK-TV (Ch. 2 in Detroit); WXYT-FM (97.1).
Regular-season opener: vs. New Orleans Saints; 1 p.m. Sept. 13; Fox.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions turning huge pass-rush weakness into new strength
