Ahmed Hassanein was the star of the night in the Detroit Lions' preseason opener at the Cincinnati Bengals from Paycor Stadium on Thursday. Hassanein registered a pair of sacks, including a strip-sack of Bengals quarterback Josh Johnson during the third quarter. The 6-foot-2, 275-pound EDGE also called his shot throughout the week: He was going to sack Bengals franchise signal-caller Joe Burrow. Sure enough, Hassanein sacked Burrow on the first snap he played on Thursday night. "I kept saying it all week. I kept saying it to my wife. Coach Campbell even said it in a team meeting today. He was like, 'I see Ahmed sacking Joe Burrow.' And I kept saying, 'I'm going to sack Joe Burrow. I'm going to sack Joe Burrow.' "I just want to give God all the glory and all the praise. He brought me here. And, man, I'm just so grateful to be with this team. I couldn't do it without my teammates, couldn't do it without my coaches, couldn't do it without Shep, couldn't do it without coach Campbell and Brad Holmes. I just really wanted to prove them right," Hassanein said.
Ahmed Hassanein: Dan Campbell said in a team meeting this morning that he envisions me sacking Joe Burrow. Hassanein got him on his first snap. He later said he cried for a second after the sack but locked back in because “I had to get back on defense.” pic.twitter.com/JzHQIlWC8T — Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) August 14, 2026 Hassanein is transitioning from the Lions' rush end position to big end. Right now, he appears to be carving out a legitimate role for himself on Detroit's eventual 53-man roster. "It was great to see," Campbell said of Hassanein's performance. "I don't really feel like I'm surprised. I felt like he'd come out and make plays. Just the nature of the way he's been practicing and some of the things he's able to do you'd feel like would translate certainly into this first preseason game. It was good to see. He just plays maximum effort and he's disruptive." After being drafted in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Lions, Hassanein suffered a pectoral tear and was waived with an injury settlement during last season's training camp. The Lions would sign Hassanein back to its practice squad in November of 2025 and then to a Reserve/Future contract in January. Hassanein tallied a combined 22 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles during the 2023 and 2024 seasons at Boise State. For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Josh on X, @JoshOnLions This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Ahmed Hassanein, Dan Campbell predicted Lions EDGE's Joe Burrow sack