Lions release DL Levi Onwuzurike

The Lions dropped a player from their active roster on Friday.

They announced that they have released defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike . Onwuzurike would have been guaranteed his entire salary for the season if he was on the roster for Week 1, so a return after the Lions face the Saints could be in the cards.

Onwuzurike was a second-round pick for Detroit in 2021, but he's missed two of the last five seasons with injuries. A back injury kept him out in 2022 and he missed all of last season with a torn ACL.

When healthy, Onwuzurike has 68 tackles, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble in 42 regular season appearances. He also has five tackles in four playoff games.

The Lions also announced that they have signed defensive lineman Tyre West to their practice squad.