The Detroit Lions head into the season firmly in the Super Bowl conversation. With stars across both sides of the ball, including Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell and Aidan Hutchinson, it's easy to see why.
But on Friday, just 48 hours before their season opener against the New Orleans Saints, the Lions made a surprising move, releasing former second-round pick Levi Onwuzurike. The 28-year-old defensive tackle was selected 41st overall in the 2021 NFL Draft after a strong college career at Washington, where he earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2019. But injuries have limited his production throughout his time in Detroit.
Now, he'll have to search for a new team right as the 2026 season kicks off. More news: Bucs’ Baker Mayfield Likely Without 2 Key Offensive Weapons for Bengals Opener Onwuzurike was drafted in the same class as Sewell, St. Brown, and starting linebacker Derrick Barnes, but never carved out the same level of production as those three franchise cornerstones.
As a rookie, he played just 37% of the team's defensive snaps and finished with 35 combined tackles, two tackles for loss, one quarterback hit, and one sack across 16 games. He then missed the entire 2022 season with a back injury that required surgery. He appeared in 10 games in 2023 with minimal production before posting his best numbers in 2024: 28 tackles, 13 quarterback hits, one forced fumble, and 1.5 sacks across 16 games, with 10 starts.
Then, after signing a one-year extension in March 2025, he tore his ACL in training camp and missed all of last season. More news: Patriots’ Kayshon Boutte Trade Looks Even Worse After AJ Brown Injury News More news: Unbelievable Myles Garrett Stat Proves 49ers’ Trent Williams is Still Dominant This year was supposed to be his bounce-back, but the Lions clearly didn't see a path to meaningful snaps for him. Between last year's first-round pick Tyleik Williams, Alim McNeil, Mekhi Wingo, and rookie Skyler Gill-Howard, Detroit isn't lacking depth at defensive tackle.
Still, cutting a former Day 2 pick this close to the season opener is a surprising move — one that leaves Onwuzurike little time to find a new team.
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