Defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike had opportunities to leave Detroit in free agency and sign elsewhere but it was the trust he felt with this coaching staff and wanting to pay back the investment the team has made in him over the last four years that ultimately drew him back to the Lions on a one-year deal.
"Just the relationship we have," Onwuzurike said Thursday after signing his new contract. "At the end of the day, when it came down to it, it's kind of like, 'Do I keep looking or do I just go with who I've already built a relationship with?'"
Onwuzurike was the second player ever drafted by general manager Brad Holmes in Detroit after Holmes made him a second-round pick in 2021. A back injury limited him early and nearly ended his career, but he battled back after surgery and is coming off his most productive season in 2024.
View photos of Detroit Lions defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike.
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike (91) during an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 20, 2024 in Minneapolis. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike (91) during an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 5, 2025 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike (91) during an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 8, 2024 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike (91) during an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 13, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike (91) during an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 30, 2024 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike (91) tackles Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) during an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 22, 2024 in Glendale, Ariz. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike (91) before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 8, 2024 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson (97) celebrates with Detroit Lions defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike (91) during an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 15, 2024 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike (91) during an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 30, 2024 in Santa Clara. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike (91) during an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 5, 2025 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike (91) during an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears on Dec. 22, 2024 in Chicago. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike (91) during an NFL football game against the Houston Texans on Nov. 10, 2024 in Houston. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike (91) during an NFC Divisional Round playoff football game against the Washington Commanders on January 18, 2025 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike (91) during an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 3, 2024 in Green Bay, Wis. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike (91) during an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 24, 2024 in Indianapolis. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
While Detroit's defense, and particularly the defensive front, was devastated by injury last season, Onwuzurike was a stabilizing force playing in 16 games.
He had 28 tackles, 13 quarterback hits, 1.5 sacks and his 47 total pressures ranked 15th most in the NFL among interior defensive linemen. He said Thursday the next step in his game is turning those pressures into sacks.
"Now it's time to start really looking at sacks," he said. "I had a lot of pressures, and I should have a lot of sacks."
It's just about finishing at the quarterback for Onwuzurike and he thinks that will be a lot easier with Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport back in the fold along the edges after they missed most of last year due to injury, and then playing alongside Alim McNeill, DJ Reader and the newly-signed Roy Lopez in the interior.
"That will be fun," he said of running it back with a lot of the same defensive linemen that were so good together early last year before the injuries took a toll. "What happened last year is crazy. That's not going to happen again. That's one of those rare things that happened. You saw how we were rolling at the beginning of the year. To have all those guys back ... we're going to cause some damage, for sure."
Onwuzurike, 27, has played his entire NFL career with the Lions and is proud to be the latest member of Holmes' first draft class to re-sign with the team. He joins Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown, McNeill and Derrick Barnes on that list.
At defensive tackle, the Lions are building good depth with McNeill, Reader, Onwuzurike and Lopez, along with Mekhi Wingo, Brodric Martin, Myles Adams and Chris Smith. Onwuzurike is excited to build on last year's success and plans to turn all those pressures into game-changing sacks and become a dominant force in the middle of Detroit's defense.
