The Lions are bringing back another member of their defense.
Levi Onwuzurike is returning to Detroit on a one-year, $5.5 million deal, per NFL Network. The second pick of Brad Holmes' first draft class, Onwuzurike is coming off his best season with the Lions.
He played in 16 games last year and posted 28 tackles and 1.5 sacks, plus 45 QB pressures, per Pro Football Focus -- the latter of which was tied for 15th in the NFL among defensive tackles with Alim McNeill and Jeffery Simmons. It was also tied for first on the Lions with McNeill and Aidan Hutchinson, albeit with McNeill missing three games and Hutchinson missing 12.
It was proof of what Onwuzurike can do when healthy after he battled injuries for the first three years of his career, including back surgery that cost him all of 2022.
Onwuzurike, 27, is a flexible interior defensive lineman who can also bounce outside. He got the majority of his work last season rushing the passer, where the Lions need a boost across the board in 2025. They have also re-signed capable pass-rushers this offseason in defensive end Marcus Davenport and linebacker Derrick Barnes.
But the Lions have yet to make a significant addition to their front seven. Their biggest move in free agency, so far, came Monday in the form of a three-year, $48 million deal for cornerback D.J. Reed -- a replacement for Carlton Davis III.
