The Detroit Lions continue preparations to face the New Orleans Saints in Week 1 of the upcoming 2026 NFL season, which officially gets underway on Sunday at Ford Field.
However, they’re not quite finished making moves toward fine tuning their roster, and a pair of transactions were announced minutes ago, including one that is taking some Lions fans by surprise.
The Lions have released defensive end Levi Onwuzurike, while also announcing the release of DL Tyre West from the practice squad.
The news was confirmed by the official Lions’ X (formerly known as Twitter) account, which reported the following:
“Lions announce roster moves: Released DE Levi Onwuzurike. Released DL Tyre West from the Practice Squad.”
The Detroit Lions Have Released Defensive End Levi Onwuzurike Before Week 1
The Lions have announced the release of Onwuzurike, who missed all of last season after suffering a torn ACL prior to the start of Training Camp.
Recently, Lions head coach Dan Campbell complimented how Onwuzurike looked in Camp, noting his improved skillet thanks to his hard work ethic.
“Yeah, he looks great. I would say when you are coming off that injury, your ability to train now, being healthy basically, right? So, now you’re kind of out of that rehab mode and now you’re into truly strength, conditioning, training, power, explosion, all of it,” Campbell said. “So, he’s just continued that route. And every year he becomes smarter, more crafty. He learns the game. So, he’s elevating his FBI and just his skillset.
“The guy works his skillset every day, man. And every year he comes up with a little something new. He knows how to play the chess game, really in the run game, but the pass game you see it,” Campbell continued. “He’ll set something up for a while and then he’ll counter you at some point. He’s a headsy player, man. He knows what he’s doing. And then he’s got a motor. I mean, my gosh, when you have all those and then you got the motor he does, he’s a massive problem for an offense.
Onwuzurike was taken by the Lions in the second round (41st overall pick) out of Washington in the 2021 NFL Draft, and he soon signed a four-year, $8.14 million rookie deal.
But his first few seasons in Detroit were derailed by injuries, including a serious back issue that required surgery and cost him most of the 2022 season. He bounced back in 2024, recording 28 tackles and 1.5 sacks across 16 games.
The Lions re-signed him to a one-year, $5.5 million deal in March 2025, but his season ended before it began after he suffered a torn ACL before Training Camp.
The Lions Also Released Tyre West From The Practice Squad
Meanwhile, the Lions also released Tyre West from the practice squad. The Lions selected him in the seventh round (22nd overall pick) of the 2026 NFL Draft out of Tennessee.
Over the 48 games he played, West recorded 65 total tackles, including 20.5 for loss. He also finished his college career with 10 sacks, two forced fumbles and a pass defended.
Detroit Lions Suddenly Cut Ties With Ex-2nd-Round Pick Before Week 1