The re-signing of Levi Onwuzurike gives the Lions incredible freedom to mold their defensive line in a variety of ways.
With the NFL 2025 free agency underway, the Detroit Lions continue to add depth on the defensive side of the ball. On the first day of the league new year, the Lions re-signed defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike to a one-year, reportedly $5.5 million contract .
Let’s take a look at how this signing will impact the Lions roster now and in the future.
Origin story
Onwuzurike was the second draft pick of Brad Holmes’ reign as general manager of the Lions, and one he could hardly wait to make. Holmes tried to find a trade partner to move up into the first round to acquire Onwuzurike, but his staff convinced him to be a bit more patient and they managed to land him with pick No. 41. Unfortunately, a back injury hampered Onwuzurike’s first three seasons in the NFL and it wasn’t until 2024 that he was finally able to contribute injury-free.
2024 role: Starter on DL
In a season where it felt like almost every defender was injured, Onwuzurike played in all but one game and started 10—though he contributed starter level snaps in most contests. Of Onwuzurike’s 10 official starts, nine came at defensive end (mostly in the Lions’ five-man front), with the remaining start coming on the interior.
Due to injury, the Lions leaned on Onwuzurike all over the defensive line. He finished the season with a 60/40 snap distribution between defensive end and defensive tackle, respectively.
2025 role: Rotational DL, spot starter
Onwuzurike is a natural interior pass rusher but he has the flexibility to play a defensive end role in the Lions scheme. The question for 2025 will be: Was he forced into more defensive end snaps due to injury, or is that simply part of the appeal of his skill set and something they want to continue to use moving forward?
As the roster currently sits, Onwuzurike could easily be viewed as Detroit’s starting 3-technique until Alim McNeill (ACL) is healthy enough to contribute. Once McNeill is back in the fold, Onwuzurike’s positional range makes him a dynamic weapon for defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard to deploy at multiple spots.
Free agency impact
The return of Onwuzurike, plus the return/addition of multiple other defensive linemen (Marcus Davenport, Roy Lopez, Myles Adams, and Chris Smith) lessens the need for Detroit to be aggressive in adding defensive linemen in free agency.
The interior defensive line has eight players signed and may only target hard working veterans like Pat O’Connor and Kyle Peko, who were both with Detroit last season.
Defensive end sits at five signed players and does have room for contributors, but the market to add a player is thinning quickly. As a result, Detroit may explore players with one-year offers, such as Za’Darius Smith (who was only cut due to his previous contract ), Von Miller or Matthew Judon (who are situational pass rushers at this stage of their careers), or Azeez Ojulari (who is a young, often injured prospect with upside but may need a “prove-it” contract).
NFL Draft impact
As discussed in our Roy Lopez roster impact article , adding interior defenders through the draft may very well come down to how the Lions plan on deploying Onwuzurike. If they view him more as an interior player, then the Lions may target prospects on Day 3 for depth. If they view him more as a 50/50 EDGE/IDL, the need for an interior play should increase.
Edge rusher remains the Lions’ highest “need” on defense (maybe the entire roster), regardless of how much they decide to use Onwuzurike on the edge. Detroit could target an edge rusher in the first round or any round thereafter. However, what style of edge rusher they target will likely be impacted by how they wish to deploy Onwuzurike.
If Onwuzurike is projected to spend more time on the edge, the need for a bigger edge rusher is reduced and the Lions have the freedom to target the best available prospect. If Onwuzurike is needed more on the interior, the Lions may lean towards bigger defensive ends who can hold up in the Lions’ physical style of trenchwork.