Getty Amani Oruwariye makes a tackle on the Vikings in 2022.
The Detroit Lions are ready to embark on major changes coming soon to their roster, and an unfortunate reality of this situation is the fact that some players will soon likely have to move on.
Not everyone will be coming back to the roster, and there are some players where that will be a good outcome relative to where they are at right now in their career. The chance for a fresh start exists for multiple players around the league, and
ESPN analysts took a look at which players fit the bill for various teams. As they wrote about the Lions, cornerback Amani Oruwariye was the selection of Eric Woodyard.
As Woodyard explained, Oruwariye has reached a point where a split can be beneficial for all sides, and a fresh start can be needed relative to how the player struggled on the field.
“After experiencing a career-best season in 2021 in which he logged six interceptions — third most in the NFL — things didn’t exactly take off the way the Lions hoped for Oruwariye in 2022. He started five of 14 games and grew frustrated after he was benched at New England in Week 5 as a healthy scratch. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason and could certainly benefit from a change in setting,” Woodyard wrote in the piece.
Oruwariye’s season last year was amongst the worst on the team. He only put up 44 tackles, one fumble recovery and three passes defended. He went viral for some of his struggles on the field with Detroit this past year. He was also benched.
The timing could be right for a split for each side, and that’s just what ESPN and Woodyard seem to see at this point in time.
Amani Oruwariye’s Struggles Hurt Lions
Why might the team be willing to let the youngster walk this offseason? Detroit’s secondary was arguably the worst group on the team’s defense this year, and they have the statistics to prove it.
Detroit finished 30th in pass defense, allowing 26 touchdowns and over 245 yards per-game on average. Worse, they allowed a total of 4,179 yards through the air. That points to a group that simply didn’t get much going all season long.
Oruwariye was a big reason for that being the case. The defensive back came into a situation where he needed to earn his future on the team for the 2023 season, and he struggled in a major way to get that done.
Without a consistent Oruwariye to depend on, and after the team had to wait on the return of Jerry Jacobs after ACL surgery, there simply was no depth. Jeff Okudah got off to a strong start, but suffered his own ups and downs during the year as was to be expected for a young player.
The team could have used Oruwariye as a steadying force. While it’s probably unfair to pin the struggles of the cornerback spot completely on him, a resurgent 2022 season from Oruwariye could likely have helped the team dramatically.
Amani 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 which lent hope for the future.
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.
2021 saw the best season yet from the cornerback, who pulled down six interceptions and looked to be well on his way to becoming a star at the position. The highlights showed a player who had all kinds of positive traits.
In his career, Oruwariye has put up 173 tackles, nine interceptions and 24 passes defended. When he hits the market, someone could look to take a chance on the cornerback as a reclamation project thanks to this production.