5 Detroit Lions cut candidates going into the summer

1. DT Levi Onwuzurike

Unfortunately, as back issues have derailed his career from the start, Onwuzurike is a no-brainer No. 1 on this list. After missing all of the 2022 season due to an early training camp injury that led to major (and I do mean major) back surgery, he was apparently healthy throughout last season, As in, literally, zero appearances on an injury report if memory serves.

But the 2021 second-round pick played in just 10 regular season games last year, with one sack and five total tackles over 131 snaps. He did played in all three playoff games (32 total snaps), with two tackles. When Onwuzurike was on the field, he was simply not noticeable.

That Onwuzurike has not been cut yet, when he could have found another team more easily earlier in the offseason, may show an idea the Lions want to give him one last shot to show his potential and win a roster spot. But the team added DJ Reader in free agency and Mekhi Wingo in the draft to bolster the interior defensive line, and push Onwuzurike down the depth chart further than he was when Benito Jones etc. lined up next to Alim McNeill.

Onwuzurike's days as a Lion feel like they're numbered. Any lingering sentimentality for an injury situation that is not his fault, if there is any, has to be gone by the time final roster cuts come, if not well before.