The Detroit Lions released defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike from the 53-man roster on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, two days before their season opener against the New Orleans Saints.
The team also cut rookie defensive lineman Tyre West from the practice squad. Detroit’s official announcement listed Onwuzurike as a defensive end, though he has lined up inside and outside during his career.
The moves were announced via the NFL transaction log.
Onwuzurike, 28, has spent his entire NFL career with the Lions after they selected him in the second round (41st overall) of the 2021 draft out of Washington.
He has appeared in 42 regular-season games with 10 starts, recording 68 tackles, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble and two pass deflections. He also has five tackles in four playoff games.
Injuries have defined much of that tenure. A back injury led to spinal fusion surgery and cost him the entire 2022 season. After a limited 2023, he posted his strongest year in 2024 with 28 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble across 16 games and 10 starts.
Detroit re-signed him in March 2025 to a one-year deal worth about $4 million to $5.5 million. A torn ACL then wiped out his 2025 season; he spent the year on the reserve/physically unable to perform list.
A little-known Collective Bargaining Agreement provision then kept him under team control for 2026. Because he was in the final year of his contract and remained on PUP past the sixth regular-season game without being reinstated, the deal tolled.
That left him on a modest one-year contract near the veteran minimum of roughly $1.215 million heading into this season.
The timing of Friday’s cut is notable. NFL rules fully guarantee a veteran’s salary for the year if he is on the Week 1 53-man roster.
By releasing Onwuzurike before the Saints game, Detroit avoids that guarantee. Multiple reports noted he could return after Week 1—either to the active roster or the practice squad—if the move was roster management rather than a clean break.
The decision still marks a surprising end, at least for now, to a homegrown draft pick who showed flashes when healthy.
Onwuzurike’s combination of size (6-foot-3, about 300 pounds) and interior-and-edge versatility once made him a high-upside prospect. Chronic availability issues, however, kept him from becoming a consistent starter.
Whether this is a temporary cap and roster maneuver or the close of his Lions chapter will become clearer after Sunday.
For a player drafted in 2021 who has already missed two full seasons, another opportunity—in Detroit or elsewhere—will depend on health and production he has only intermittently delivered.
