Dan Campbell lays out vision for DJ Wonnum, Levi Onwuzurike in Lions D
PHOENIX – Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell laid out his vision for two pass rushers the team is counting on to play significant snaps at the defensive end position this fall.
DJ Wonnum signed a one-year, $3 million deal in free agency and could see significant time opposite Aidan Hutchinson , while Levi Onwuzurike 's contract tolled after he missed last season with a torn ACL.
The Lions still could – and likely will – add a pass rusher in the draft, but Payton Turner , Tyler Lacy and Ahmed Hassanein are the only other EDGEs currently under contract.
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Here's what Campbell had to say about how he envisions using Wonnum and Onwuzurike in 2026.
DJ Wonnum
Wonnum started 15 games for the Carolina Panthers in 2026 and has topped 50% of defensive snaps in all six of his NFL seasons. He played 352 pass rush snaps last year and was used more heavily as a rusher early in his career with the Minnesota Vikings .
"He's really like a rush end," Campbell said. "He’s a D-end, so he’s the guy you put opposite of Hutch in a true four-down [alignment]. If he’s playing in base defense, it may be to spell Hutch for a play or two, he takes that role on. So he’s more of that. He’s not like the big end in base that gets over a tackle with [Derrick] Barnes outside of him. That’s not fair to ask him to do all that."
Wonnum had three sacks, 28 pressures and a career-low 0.9% sack percentage last season, but Campbell said he's a better pass rusher than some believe. With the Vikings, Wonnum had eight-sack seasons in both 2021 and 2023.
"We believe he can get an edge, but here’s what I would say with Wonnum," Campbell said. "We played against him at Minnesota, I mean, he caught our eye two years ago, three years ago, whatever that was. The guy, I mean, he plays the run, he’s tough, he’s physical, he’s smart, he’s versatile and he can get an edge every once in a while. And he can play special teams if you need him."
Levi Onwuzurike
Injuries have kept Onwuzurike from the maximizing the potential he showed as a second-round pick out of Washington in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Onwuzurike missed time in training camp as a rookie because of a back injury and sat out the entire 2022 season after undergoing spinal fusion surgery . He played more defensive tackle than defensive end early in his career, but gave the Lions a boost at the big end position in 2024 when he posted career-highs of 37 pressures and 1½ sacks.
Amid tepid free agent interest last spring, Onwuzurike signed a one-year deal to return to the Lions. His contract rolled over to the 2026 season because he spent 2025 on the reserve/physically unable to perform list.
“He’s big end for us, so we play base he can play the five or the 4i, five tech over the tackle, and then he can kick down into the three technique," Campbell said. "Those are kind of where he goes. Every once in a while, we play in a four-down like a nickel defense, he can play opposite of Hutch on first down. They like to run to the tight end, we’ll put Levi over there.
"So that’s kind of his role, and he can also go and swing at the nose if we need him. Like, he can play the nose. He’s a big, strong, athletic man. As we all know, it’ll be about him, how is all this, is he able to stay healthy? Can we get through this? But if we can, we think Levi can be a good player."
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Bluesky , X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions vision for DJ Wonnum, Levi Onwuzurike on defense
