There is another big body on the Detroit Lions defensive line after Tuesday’s addition of DT Kyle Peko. Detroit added the 30-year-old Peko as a free agent on a reported one-year contract.
The Lions will be Peko’s fifth NFL team since he joined the league as an undrafted rookie out of Oregon State following the 2016 NFL draft. The 6-foot-1, 305-pounder is a cousin of longtime NFL DT and former Michigan State standout Domata Peko.
To say Peko has bounced around is an understatement. When Detroit signed him on Tuesday, it was Peko’s 85th appearance on the NFL’s transaction log since his initial signing, with more than half being practice squad elevations or released. That includes 11 in 2023 alone, beginning with his signing and subsequent waiver by the Las Vegas Raiders, where he had also played in 2022. The Tennessee Titans brought Peko back to where he played eight games in the 2021 campaign.
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Last season was far and away the most productive of Peko’s NFL career. After serving as a practice squad promotion in the first two weeks, Peko not only signed onto the 53-man roster but was thrust into the Titans starting lineup. He played more than twice the amount of defensive snaps in 2023 (352) than he had in any prior season.
Peko notched 22 total tackles while playing primarily as a 3T or 2i-tech in Tennessee’s base odd-man front. He did that while serving under DL coach Terrell Williams, who now holds that position with the Lions.
There isn’t a lot of pass rush or twitch in Peko’s game. He’s quick off the snap and shows some jolting initial power, and he uses that nicely to get himself into the gap in run defense at times. When unencumbered, Peko can close on the ball nicely too.
The issues come when Peko doesn’t win that initial hand combat or get the advantage off his first step on the inside. While he gives good effort and doesn’t quit, Peko just doesn’t get off blocks well or anchor as strongly as hoped. Top-heavy interior player. He also doesn’t always feel the down block or pulling blockers well, and it leads to him getting a hand or a shoulder on the ball carrier but not being able to finish the play. This was evident in the Titans’ midseason games against Pittsburgh and Jacksonville; the effort is there, but the results are not.
Peko’s PFF profile for 2023 reflects this. They charted Peko with 10 missed tackles and a missed tackle rate of over 30 percent. He ended the season missing the final four games with a calf injury.
Reuniting with Coach Williams is probably the best-case scenario for Peko to keep the NFL career alive. In Detroit, Peko should compete for interior reserve reps with Levi Onwuzurike, Brodric Martin, Mekhi Wingo and Chris Smith.