The Detroit Lions are switching to a base 4-man defensive front from last year’s 3-man look. Earlier this offseason, head coach Dan Campbell explained that the switch was being made in part to fit the personnel on hand better. One of those players it should suit better is second-year defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike.
Currently projected to split a tackle role with veteran Michael Brockers, Onwuzurike is moving more inside and adapting to a role that’s similar to the way he played in college at Washington. The hope is it will jumpstart Onwuzurike’s development after an underwhelming rookie season. That’s certainly the hope for Campbell.
“You don’t make any greater jumps than you do from (year) one to two,” Campbell told reporters on Thursday. “That is the greatest jump that most guys make. It doesn’t mean you don’t continue to grow. So we’re expecting him to take a leap forward, you know?”
Campbell is pleased with what he’s seen from Onwuzurike in the offseason.
“I know he’s of the right mindset. Even just talking to him when he left. First of all, he wasn’t going to leave. He was going to stick around here for a while, which he did. He’s been working. Went back home for a little bit and he’s come back up. He’s put his money where his mouth is. I know that from a training standpoint. He’s got enough pride and he knows what he needs to do. Everybody learns at a different rate in this league, man. It takes a while. Some guys get it right now and some guys it just, to go and develop and figure things out a little bit. So I expect him to have a better year”.
It would be a huge boon for the Detroit defense if Onwuzurike developed quickly into a pass-rushing threat from the 3-technique. He showed little ability to penetrate from a primary 5-technique alignment in 2021, registering just one sack and two TFLs in 16 games. His 6-foot-3, 295-pound frame fits better playing more inside, at least in theory. That’s especially true if Onwuzurike is fully healed from a hip ailment that has bothered him since his Washington days and limited his athleticism as a rookie.