The Detroit Lions were hit hard by the injury bug in 2024, losing several key players for long stretches including several season-ending injuries.
This season, the Lions got hit with their first major setback before training camp could even begin.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell announced on July 20 that defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike underwent surgery for a torn ACL and would miss the entire upcoming season. Onwuzurike had been one of the team’s most steady and reliable linemen last season and his injury will create a significant hole in the middle of their defense.
Dan Campbell Explained Levi Onwuzurike’s Mysterious Absence
The Lions had already placed Onwuzurike on the reserve/physically unable to perform list earlier in the week but did not reveal the cause or extent of his injury at the time. Campbell resolved the mystery this weekend, saying the standout defensive tackle had to undergo surgery and would miss the 2025 season.
“Levi is out for the year. Levi’s surgery, it was significant, but it needed to be done. Out of his control but it needed to be done, so he will miss the season,” Campbell said, via Pro Football Talk. “It was a knee, ACL, so he got that taken care of.”
Onwuzurike was one of the few players untouched by injuries in 2024, appearing in 16 games and playing 61% of the team’s snaps on defense. He made a total of 28 tackles with 1.5 sacks and 13 quarterback hits.
The Lions were already expected to start the season shorthanded, with defensive tackle Alim McNeill still recovering from a torn ACL that cut his 2024 season short in December. McNeill is expected to return sometime near the team’s bye week, around two months into the NFL season.
The Lions are also waiting to see whether star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson could be slowed by a fractured leg that cut short his 2024 season. Hutchinson suffered the injury in an October win over the Dallas Cowboys and could have returned to the field if the team had advanced to the Super Bowl. He is expected to be back for Week 1, but it remains to be seen whether the injury may have curbed his athleticism or burst at the line of scrimmage.
Lions May Need Rookie to Step Up
Onwuzurike’s injury could create a big opportunity for first-round pick Tyleik Williams to step into a significant role early in his career with the Lions.
Russell Brown of USA Today’s Lions Wire suggested that Williams can bring some versatility, moving outside his college position to move along the defensive line as needed.
“Despite my thought process of Williams being a plug-and-play starter as a 3-technique in Detroit, he will provide versatility from day one,” Brown wrote. “In addition to that, he provides experience. In college, he started 25 games with 51 games played and he played against some of the top offensive lineman in the country weekly. This selection may not move the needle for every fan but it’s a move that will give the Lions defense a physical and consistent presence in the middle of their defense.”
