One of the biggest storylines of the Detroit Lions' training camp has been Ahmed Hassanein's rise. The second-year defensive end has had one of the most impressive camps so far, staking his claim to the 53-man roster.
Entering Detroit's first preseason game, Hassanein was riding a ton of positive momentum. Following his performance against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday, the hype around Hassanein has only grown.
The 24-year-old defender was arguably the most impactful defender on the field. Hassanein played a total of 29 defensive snaps, the third-most snaps among defensive ends, behind Anthony Lucas and Eric O'Neill. Hassanein started the game on the right foot, getting a sack on Joe Burrow on the first snap of the game. He continued to build upon this momentum, finishing the game with two sacks, four tackles, two QB hits, two tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.
Ahmed Hassanein is absolutely on fire pic.twitter.com/MYx62Slmrd
— Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) August 14, 2026
Ahmed Hassanein is the star of the Lions' training camp and preseason
After the game, Hassanein said that he was so emotional after his sack on Burrow that he briefly cried. He also recalled head coach Dan Campbell saying in the team meeting that he was envisioning his sack of Burrow, per Lions insider Nolan Bianchi.
This perfectly sums up the memorable run Hassanein has been on this summer. Having entered the training camp firmly on the roster bubble, the Egyptian-American defender has left no doubt that he is a lock for the final roster.
If anything, at this point, the conversation needs to be had about whether he needs to be the starter. As things stand now, it will be DJ Wonnum starting opposite Aidan Hutchinson. But if Hassanein keeps this up, he will force the coaching staff to make a difficult decision.
As things stand now, the Lions will have Hassanein, Hutchinson, Wonnum, and Derrick Moore as their four defensive ends on the 53-man roster. Hassanein was the only one out of that group to play in Thursday's game. Whether Campbell will continue to play him in the next two preseason games remains to be seen.
If the coaching staff has seen enough from Hassanein to feel good about where he is at, they may want to sit him out the rest of the way. Especially given the physicality and intensity he plays with, there may be some benefit to lowering his snaps for the rest of the preseason.
Some Lions fans were upset with the front office for not being more aggressive in addressing the pass-rush rotation. Some were hoping for a splashier addition than Wonnum in free agency. With Hassanein's emergence, however, the Lions should feel pretty good about where their defensive end rotation is.
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