Getty Aaron Jones runs away from the Lions defense in a 2020 game.
The Detroit Lions have endured a frustrating start to the season, and perhaps on no side of the ball is that more evident than on defense.
Thus far this season, the Lions are making NFL history for their inability to stop the opposition, and a big reason that is the case is the struggles on the back end. While nobody has been consistent, arguably the most inconsistent player has been Amani Oruwariye.
After having a fantastic 2021 season, Oruwariye has cratered back to earth so far this season, and folks at Bleacher Report have noticed in a big way.
Writer Alex Ballentine has made the call, and singled out Oruwariye for his poor work so far this season. As he said, while Oruwariye isn’t to blame for everything, he’s the most disappointing player on the team.
“He has incurred the second-most penalties in the league, and the miscues have factored into the worst grade of all cornerbacks from Pro Football Focus. The Lions are giving up 35.3 points per game. Oruwariye’s transformation from stud to absolute dud is the epitome of a disappointing development,” he wrote.
The penalties and inconsistent play have teamed up to make Oruwariye a bitter disappointment for the Lions so far this season. Naturally, he does have time to make things up, but it will take a big effort to turn things around.
Oruwariye Was Picked Lions’ Breakout Player
All of this is even more frustrating and sad when viewed from the lens that the same site was projecting Oruwariye to have a major breakout season with the team.
Bleacher Report writer Ian Wharton took a look at predicting the breakout players for every single team entering the 2022 season a few months back. When it came to the Lions specifically, he had a familiar answer in a player who broke out in 2021, but whom he expected to do even more in 2022.
As Wharton explained at the time, Oruwaryie not only has solid ball production, but he shut down opposing wideouts and quarterbacks and could push for a Pro Bowl this season. He went so far as to admit the breakout may have happened, but projected Oruwariye to shine starting now.
Wharton wrote: “his reputation will grow as Detroit has drawn more attention after its late-season improvement last season. With more eyes on Detroit, it’s time for Oruwariye to shine.”
Naturally, it isn’t a stretch to say that has not played out at all for the Lions whatsoever this year. It was a prediction that seemed to have plenty of merit at the time, but simply hasn’t shown itself as legit yet.
Oruwariye’s Career Stats & Highlights
During the 2019 season as he started into the league, Oruwariye didn’t do much statistically for the team early on as he battled a knee injury. After that point, though, he surged.
Oruwariye finished 2019 with 2 interceptions and 19 tackles for the Lions, but has been a player who has delivered before given his work in college. During the 2020 season on the field, he had 53 tackles, 1 interception and 7 passes defended, meaning he was easily able to eclipse his statistical work from last season, setting him on a good trajectory.
While playing for Penn State, Oruwariye put up 108 tackles and 8 interceptions while scoring 1 touchdown. Last year, he showed up big for the Lions with tons of big plays. In total, Oruwariye had 57 tackles, 11 passes defended and 6 interceptions. Here’s a look at his highlights:
So far in 2022, he has 15 tackles and two passes defended. With that inconsistent work, it’s easy to say Oruwariye has found a major bump in the road amid a frustrating start to the year.