Lions Roster Moves: The Lions’ strange Levi Onwuzurike move makes sense now — but their Week 1 decision adds another twist
Onwuzurike is already back one day after his surprising release, confirming the roster workaround — but Detroit chose a different defensive lineman for Sunday.
The Detroit Lions will start their 2026 season on Sunday when they welcome the New Orleans Saints to Ford Field. But first, we have our first roster moves of the year on Saturday. Here’s everything the Lions did:
Signed Levi Onwuzurike to the practice squad
Exactly what was expected. The Lions are bringing back Onwuzurike to the practice squad, confirming that the move was cap gymnastics and that the Lions made sure they didn’t have to guarantee his contract. Now he’s back, but the Lions are not elevating him for Sunday’s game. We’ll see how much he plays and what the Lions plan to do with him going forward.
Elevated DL Ben Stille from practice squad
The Lions will elevate the veteran defensive tackle, and he was a guy that I definitely thought would make the 53-man roster at different times this summer. He popped in practice quite a bit and showed that he has some value as a run-stuffing nose tackle type of player. Something the Lions don’t have on the roster outside of Tyleik Williams. He has a chance to make a name for himself. Remember, the Lions still have an open roster spot.
Detroit Lions News