ALLEN PARK -- Sacks are to defensive ends what interceptions are to defensive backs. Theyre certainly important, and you expect them when you pay elite money. But they only begin to tell the story of how a player has performed.

Take Trey Flowers, for example.

He was lured to Detroit by the idea of re-uniting with Matt Patricia, sure, but that $90 million contract helped too. It was more money than anyone else paid for any free agent this year. And for that kind of price, you expect to see some sacks.

But by that measure, Flowers -- with one sack in four games -- has been quiet through his first quarter-season in Detroit. And even that came on a desperation final play of the first half against Philadelphia, where Carson Wentz decided to tuck the ball and go down rather than force the issue downfield. Flowers touched Wentz with his left hand, so he got credit for the sack. And thats it.

He has been productive in other ways, though.

After pressuring opposing quarterbacks just five times in the first two games of the season, Flowers has racked up 10 pressures in Detroits last two games alone, making life a little more uncomfortable for Wentz and Kansas Citys Patrick Mahomes, the latter of whom had his worst game in his last 16 appearances against Detroit.

Flowers also forced one fumble against the Chiefs, and is now ranked inside the top 20 edge rushers in the game according to ProFootballFocus.

Hes a hard-charging -- really, a hard-charging, hard-playing (guy), defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni said. The effort level -- his effort level is up there. I think he kind of silently goes abut his business. Hes had some really good production, really contributed. Maybe not always the fanciest deal, but really a good player.

Flowers four-game debut is not entirely dissimilar from his time in New England, where he never put up big-time sack numbers -- he ranged from 6.5-7.5 sacks his last three years there -- but was highly disruptive. Last year, for example, he finished with 7.5 sacks. That ranked 34th in the league. But he also racked up more pressures than everyone except Dee Ford, and did it while lining up across the defensive front.

That was part of the draw for Detroit, which has installed the New England defense under Matt Patricia and now favors the same kind of versatility in its defensive linemen. Through four games, theyve used Flowers at seven different positions according to ProFootballFocus, mostly at right end, but also at left end, on the nose and, for one snap, slot cornerback.

He started slowly the first couple weeks, perhaps not a surprise given all the time he missed in the offseason. He missed OTAs and minicamp while recovering from shoulder surgery, then opened training camp on the physically unable to perform list. He didnt start practicing until Aug 10, and was extremely limited for a while after that.

So he needed some time to get comfortable. But the production has ticked up the last couple weeks, helping lead the way for that highly anticipated defensive front, and there is optimism around Allen Park that his best football isnt far away.

Working on it, Flowers said, when asked recently how he felt hes played.

And if hes able to get there, that defensive front -- so highly anticipated coming into the season, but dogged by injury and production issues in the first quarter of the season -- might finally realize its potential.

Just get 'em all healthy, you know? Pasqualoni said. Get Mike Daniels back, get DaShawn (Hand) in there, just get 'em all together, hopefully as we start this next quarter of the season. Theyll (hopefully) all be available, start developing those guys together.

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Lions big investment in Trey Flowers starting to yield returns - MLive.com