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Fansided's Detroit Jock City's Andrew Hughes named Levi Onwuzurike a Detroit Lions cut candidate days before the 2026 NFL Draft.

As is the case with teams around the league, the Detroit Lions are about to add fresh talent to their roster through the 2026 NFL Draft. For some veterans, that could mean becoming expendable. That could be the case for Lions defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike.

Fansided’s Detroit Jock City’s Andrew Hughes argued two days before the first round Onwuzurike was one of three Lions players “on thin ice” entering the 2026 NFL Draft.

“Levi Onwuzurike spent the entire 2025 season on the PUP list, which froze his deal and now makes the 2026 campaign a contract year. His contract is worth a base salary of $1.5 million and up to $500,000 in bonuses,” wrote Hughes.

“That likely keeps him on the team as depth. The question will then become whether or not Detroit can find him a legitimate role when he’s back.

“While the Lions know they have a defensive tackle problem, Holmes understands the risk of bringing back a player who missed the entirety of the previous season and present him as the solution to the team’s fanbase. Detroit’s current brain trust is running low on confidence from this fanbase after the way 2025 unfolded as is.”

During his last healthy season, Onwuzurike started 10 games for the Lions in 2024. Playing in 16 games overall, the defensive lineman posted 28 combined tackles with 13 quarterback hits.

But he had just one tackle for loss and 1.5 sacks. Onwuzurike also had one forced fumble.

Could Lions Release Levi Onwuzurike After 2026 NFL Draft?

Onwuzurike floated as a cut candidate is nothing new. That’s been happening for more than two years.

That occurs for second-round picks who don’t fulfill their draft stock. Detroit selected Onwuzurike at No. 41 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.

The Lions appear to have held out hope Onwuzurike was still developing. But after missing all of 2025 and turning 28 years old in March, the defensive lineman is closer to a reclamation project.

The team, though, won’t save much by moving on from Onwuzurike. The veteran possesses just a $1.215 million cap hit, which is league minimum. Detroit could save all that money with his release, but that doesn’t move the needle much with the league’s $301.2 million salary cap.

Whether the Lions move on from Onwuzurike will likely come down to if the team has a roster spot for him this season.

Will Lions Make Onwuzurike Replaceable With 2026 NFL Draft?

Despite seemingly being a fringe roster player previously, Onwuzurike has managed to stay on the Lions roster. In 2025, the team re-signed the defensive lineman after his rookie contract expired.

Clearly, Detroit sees the lineman as valuable to their roster.

If the Lions are going to part ways with Onwuzurike this offseason, they will have to address defensive line in the 2026 NFL Draft. That could mean not just one, but two picks upgrading the position group.

While Onwuzurike mostly plays defensive tackle, he possesses versatility, as he can line up along the edge as well. That makes him valuable, especially for a defense searching for additional edge depth and a replacement for defensive tackle D.J. Reader.

The Lions are expected to address the edge early in the 2026 NFL Draft. But Onwuzurike might not be expendable unless Detroit also selects a defensive tackle.

In the 2026 NFL Draft, the Lions hold nine picks, seven of which will be on Day 3.