The Detroit Lions have their first preseason game in the books, dropping a 16-14 decision to the Cincinnati Bengals on the road at Paycor Stadium last Thursday evening in a contest that featured mostly reserve players on Detroit’s side.
The good news for the Lions is that, despite having several players who are banged up and on their injury list, defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike is not one of them.
Onwuzurike, whom the Lions selected from the Washington Huskies in the second round (41st overall pick) of the 2021 NFL Draft, missed all of last season after suffering a torn ACL in July of last summer. However, he’s healthy and has been participating in team activities throughout Training Camp.
Detroit Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell Offers Honest Take On Levi Onwuzurike
According to Lions head coach Dan Campbell, Onwuzurike has had a good Camp and has made a positive impression upon him and the rest of the coaching staff.
“I feel like Levi’s had a good camp. Levi, as we all know, he’s coming off a ton of injuries. But it’s nice to have two ACLs, he would tell you that. It helps him move a lot better, he’s got a lot more power and I think that shows up,” said Campell. “There are times with Levi because he’s such a strong man, he’s a strong human being, powerful, that sometimes he gets real high. He can get a little bit high and really the last couple of days, that showed up a little bit.
“We’ve got to stay with him, stay on him about some of that stuff because when he plays low, he’s a powerful man. He and (Tyler) Lacy are probably two of our most powerful D-linemen that we have,’ Campbell added further. “You talk about knock back and they are hard to move. But I like where Levi’s at. I think he’s improved a ton. Certainly, he looks the healthiest he’s been in a long time. So, I like where he’s trending.”
Lions general manager Brad Holmes re-signed Onwuzurike to a one-year, $1.215 million contract during the offseason, keeping him in the Motor City for another season.
The previous season, he started 10 of the 16 games that he appeared in for the Lions, and registered 28 total tackles with a career-best 13 quarterback hits. Earlier in his career, he required spinal fusion surgery for a back injury.
Levi Onwuzurike Made It Clear He Enjoys Physical Contact
Upon being drafted by the Lions, he made it clear that opponents would not like him when he’s not in a good mood.
“I like f–king people up,” he explained shortly after the Lions made him their 2021 second round pick. “I like to get off the line and just put my helmet or my hands on an offensive lineman and f–k up an offensive scheme, pretty much. I like pushing ’em back two, three yards and just making ’em feel like sh-t.”
So far in his NFL career, he’s amassed 68 tackles with 3.5 sacks, two pass deflections, and a forced fumble.
Lions’ Dan Campbell Offers Strong Outlook On Levi Onwuzurike