The Detroit Lions may have a ton of cap space, but they appear tp be preparing for the financial burden that will come with extending many of their young stars. This may have been one of the reasons they only passed out a one-year contract to starting defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike.
While the totality of his Lions career has been a bit of a disappointment, the recent improvements he made during Detroit's special 2024 season were enough to earn him another year as the starter and some wider praise from the rest of the football world.
ESPN analyst Ben Solak listed the Lions bringing back Onwuzurike as the best bargain in the entire first wave of free agency. Not only did the Lions bring back a solid starter at a fairly economical price, but they did so at a time where the interior defensive lineman market is starting to explode.
Detroit managed to sign Onwuzurike for $5.5 million over one year, while Javon Kinlaw took $45 million over three years from the Washington Commanders and Tershawn Wharton signed a three-year, $54 million deal with the Carolina Panthers. Onwuzuirke had a higher pressure rate than both of them.
Lions' Levi Onwuzurike signing praised by ESPN's Ben Solak
Onwuzurike has struggled to stay healthy in Detroit, even missing an entire season due to injuries. Even in 2024, which saw him move around the defensive line due to how often other members of the Lions' defense were injured next to him, he started to show more flashes of being a starting-caliber player.
With Alim McNeil already locked up long-term, the goal is for Onwuzurike to prove he can stay healthy once again for all 17 games and play a part in fixing Detroit's run defense while he's at it. With linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard stepping in to replace Aaron Glenn, the scheme Onwuzurike had success in will likely be sticking around.
Onwuzurike breaking out would help Detroit both save up for future extensions and keeps them financially flexibale in the short-term. Instead of committing big money or draft capital for a McNeil running mate, the Lions could possibly take on bigger contracts in mid-season trades that could help them break through in the postseason.
Onwuzurike has been a late bloomer in his professional career, but he seems to have left enough of a positive impression on both Lions decision-makers and the general NFL media landscape as a whole to warrant some serious hype around Detroit's defensive line in 2025.
