Trust, culture played major role in Detroit Lions retaining defensive lineman

ALLEN PARK -- Levi Onwuzurike has been through hell and back to even be in the conversation for getting a second NFL contract.

But after a rough start to his career, including missing a full season after undergoing spinal fusion surgery, the former second-round pick is sticking around. The Lions re-signed Onwuzurike to a one-year, $5.5 million deal, which is labeled a team-friendly value by national and local writers alike.

The Lions stuck by Onwuzurike, expressing an impressive level of belief and patience to get to this point. He was the second draft pick made by general manager Brad Holmes, and that explosive potential finally showed itself on the field last year.

That patience and belief are also a major reason the Lions were able to fill one of their biggest holes on the defensive line with an internal option.

“I think the trust that the coaches have in me; I think how much they’ve invested in me, and just the relationship we have at the end of the day when it came down to it,” Onwuzurike said.

“This was kind of like, ‘All right, do I really need to keep looking, or do I just go with who I’ve already built a relationship with.’”

In Onwuzurike, the Lions are keeping a player who comes with inside-outside versatility and a proven ability to create pressure from the big defensive end spot. He’s also done it on the inside, too. Onwuzurike loves the ability to play all over the line, which is another aspect of running it back in Detroit.

The 2021 second-round pick was tied for second on the team with 45 pressures last season. Onwuzurike finished in the top 15 at his position with a 12.5% pass-rush win rate, showing what he could do after a full, healthy offseason for the first time in his career. He was able to put on weight and keep it on, as well, and that power showed up in 2024.

“I think now is the time to start really looking at sacks,” Onwuzurike said. “Getting them. I had a lot of pressures, that means I should have a lot of sacks. I’ve just got to put it all together.

“It’s really just about making the play once you get there. At the end of the day, for some guys, it’s a little bit of luck. But really just got make the play (and) have the right guys around you. If you put Hutch to my left, Mac to my right (and) have DJ with us, (and) Davenport, one of us are going to get a sack. It’s going to happen. It’s bound to happen.”

Onwuzurike added that he didn’t care much for the free-agent process, with all the sitting and waiting with his life in the air. When it came down to it, though, the best decision for him was to stick with familiarity and the people who had waited nearly four years for him to make it back.

He’ll also be playing under his fourth defensive line coach in as many years, with Kacy Rodgers replacing the outgoing Terrell Williams. And while the loss of Williams is a big one, Onwuzurike still has many of the same faces and coaches around him, not to mention someone respected like Rodgers taking over.

“I just met him for the first time. Real cool dude,” Onwuzurike said of the new Lions defensive line coach. “He has a good plan for us. You could tell he’s excited. You can tell he has individual expectations for every different player, (and) he’s going to use that to put us in the right spot. I like where his head is at.

“I don’t think it’s difficult to be honest. We know how the league is. People moving, people moving up, some guys had that happen in college. I think everybody is used to it. I don’t think it’s as big as a deal -- obviously, losing a coach like coach T, that’s huge. But we got another great coach in Kacy.”