The injuries just don’t stop for the Detroit Lions.
The team had a 2024 season that was derailed by a barrage of injuries that had them reaching deep down their bench by playoff time.
Some of those injuries from last season are still impacting the team now as neither Alim McNeil nor Malcolm Rodriguez are expected to be ready for the start of the 2025 season.
Now it seems another important piece of the Lions’ defense is going to miss the start of the new season.
Today the Lions announced that they had placed defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike on the reserve/physically unable to perform list.
The following players are declared physical unable to perform:
OT Taylor Decker, CB Khalil Dorsey, OG Miles Frazier, DL Alim McNeill, LB Malcolm Rodriguez, DL Mekhi Wingo
The following players are declared non-football injury:
DL Josh Paschal, CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver
The… pic.twitter.com/6cMCdWaWv8
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) July 17, 2025
That means that he will miss the first four games of the 2025 season.
Luckily for the Lions, they set themselves up to deal with injuries at defensive tackle this offseason.
With McNeill already expected to miss the start of the season, the team added Roy Lopez and Tyleik Williams.
Now those two, D.J. Reader, and potentially Brodric Martin will be the team’s only options at the position heading into the season.
Reader has been the subject of speculation since the Lions draft Williams, but this injury to Onwuzurike should bring an end to any concerns about Reader’s job security.
For Onwuzurike, this is a tough way to start a season where he’ll be playing on a one-year “prove it” deal.
He was coming off of the best season of his career and had a good chance at a starting spot early in the year before the injury.
Now he’ll be stuck spending the early portion of the season working his way back from injury while the Lions will have to hope this is the end of the bad news for their defensive line.
