Levi Onwuzurike released by Lions

The Detroit Lions on Friday, Sept. 11, released defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike from the active roster and rookie defensive lineman Tyre West from the practice squad, according to an announcement from the team.

Onwuzurike, a second-round pick in general manager Brad Holmes' first draft class (2021) , seemed to potentially be on the roster bubble after a slow start to camp but wound up sticking on the 53-man roster as the Lions kept 11 defensive linemen in total. Lions coach Dan Campbell previously said Onwuzurike was on a "ramp-up plan" after coming off a knee injury that cost him his entire 2025 season .

It's possible we haven't seen the last of Onwuzurike in Detroit, and that this is simply a move to avoid guaranteeing his $1.2 million salary for 2026.

"He looks great," Campbell said of Onwuzurike on Aug. 17. "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. So, he's just continued that route."

Onwuzurike was rather effective as a pass rusher the last time he was healthy during the regular season, recording 45 pressures and 1½ sacks in 2024, when the defensive line was otherwise decimated by injuries.

West, a rookie whom Detroit selected with a seventh-round pick in April, struggled to gain any momentum throughout camp, to the point that he only played 10 snaps in preseason.