Getty Amani Oruwariye dives to intercept a pass against the Bears.
Most folks believe that the Detroit Lions have created a new roster capable of turning things around in the future, and the team does have some key players at key positions that could be part of a quick fix for the team.
One of those players is cornerback Amani Oruwariye, who was forced to miss the last few weeks of the season with injury. Oruwariye may not be on the field, but his impact is still being felt in terms of the stats that he has put forth.
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According to Pro Football Focus, Oruwariye has the fifth-lowest passer rating allowed in single-coverage in the NFL. He is up there with the likes of J.C. Jackson, Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay, some of the best of the best in the entire NFL with the stat.
Amani Oruwariye has the 5th lowest passer rating in single coverage per @PFF
A mark of a great corner is how he can fare in single coverage. To this end, Oruwariye is looking like an elite player for the Lions in the future. That could be huge for the team.
Oruwariye Reveals New Career Goals
Though he has missed the rest of this season with a thumb injury, Oruwariye has already made his presence felt in a big way this season. His 6 interceptions leads the team, and is also good for a top-five ranking in the NFL. Better than that, Oruwariye has continued his development early in his career and is looking like a major force to be reckoned with in the league.
In spite of that, Detroit’s top young cornerback isn’t shy about wanting more for himself. Recently, Oruwariye sat down with Pro Football Focus and writer Doug Kyed for an interview. As he told Kyed, his biggest goal is to become “a household name” at cornerback and a player who is referred to as one of the top players at his position and respected by the opposition. Additionally, Oruwariye told Kyed he knows what he must improve to get there, referencing consistency at the line of scrimmage, fluidity in technique with multiple kinds of receivers and doing even more film study to find ways to improve his craft. All of this, Oruwariye hopes, culminates in the team being able to reach the Super Bowl.
Every so often, a young player can get complacent with small hints of success. It’s obvious that isn’t going to be for Oruwariye, who has a clear set of goals he wants to accomplish for the team and knows what he has to do to get it done.
The fun part for fans? They will get to watch Oruwariye chase down these dreams and ambitions in the future while seeing how much he can improve.
Oruwariye’s Career Stats and 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 most of the early part of the year, and as a result, his stats weren’t that robust. 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 has 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 for the future.
While playing for Penn State, Oruwariye put up 108 tackles and 8 interceptions while scoring 1 touchdown. Obviously, the Lions have to hope that as he comes along, Oruwariye can manage to become the ball hawk he was for the Nittany Lions for years. Here’s a look at some highlights:
So far in Detroit, he’s shown an ability to step up and stick in coverage which is great news for the Lions. It only serves to prove how good Oruwariye has been consistently this season and how important he could be for the future.
His work on the field in single coverage shows what a quality player he could become.
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