Throughout the offseason, Detroit Lions fans have dreamed about adding an edge rusher. Aidan Hutchinson was dominant before breaking his leg last October, and his injury shined a light on the need for quality depth. With Hutchinson on track to return this season, fans became euphoric thinking about adding a dominant pass rusher to play across from him.
Although Lions fans dreamed about several big names, the return of Marcus Davenport was the only notable move Detroit has made among its edge rushers. But while they couldn’t reel in the big fish, the Lions may be getting the next big thing as a young player is getting mentored by a dream trade target that was thrown around this spring.
Lions Edge Rusher Mitchell Agude Accepts Invite to Maxx Crosby’s 'Sack Summit'
Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby may no longer be available after signing a three-year, $106.5 million contract extension earlier this offseason. But he’s still helping out the Lions as edge rusher Mitchell Agude plans to attend Crosby’s week-long training session called “The Sack Summit” next month.
The Sack Summit is similar to Tight End University, which is hosted by George Kittle and Travis Kelce and features the best pass-rushers in the NFL getting together for a week of training in the desert. Crosby, Cameron Jordan of the New Orleans Saints, and free agent Von Miller are the organizers of the event, and it includes an all-star list of attendees, including Jonathan Greenard of the Minnesota Vikings, Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals, and Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys.
For Agude, it’s a unique opportunity. An undrafted free agent out of Miami in 2023, Agude saw his first game action last season, appearing in four games with three total tackles and a forced fumble. While he didn’t record a sack, he showed some pass-rushing chops during his collegiate career with 8.5 total sacks over three seasons, including the first two at UCLA.
Lions fans were probably hoping for Crosby to join the edge rusher room – especially after he starred at Eastern Michigan. But if Agude can take something from The Sack Summit, there’s a chance he could make an impact next season and provide some of the depth Lions fans are hoping for.