Long-Lost Ex-Husky Onwuzurike Returns to Lions' Practice

The former UW defensive tackle has missed two of the past three football seasons.

Levi Onwuzurike practiced on Sunday with the Detroit Lions, which was very big news.

The former University of Washington defensive tackle was back on the field, trying to resume his NFL career after missing the 2022 season with a back injury.

In fact, the 6-foot-3, 295-pound Onwuzurike is bent on getting his football career back on line after multiple stops and starts in recent years.

The big Texan, who was a first-team All-Pac-12 player for the Huskies in 2019, has sat out two of the past three football seasons while dealing with COVID and his lingering back ailments.

“Oh, I’m really excited, man,” Onwuzurike told reporters as one of the last to leave practice. “You know I’m excited. You see the smile on my face."

A second-round draft for Detroit, Onwuzurike missed most of his rookie training camp with back issues before playing 16 games for the Lions in 2021, all in a reserve role, while collecting 35 tackles, a pair of tackles for loss and two pass deflections. 

After missing the 2022 season, ex-Husky defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike took part in the Lions' first practice :: Junfu Han/USA TODAY Sports

Explaining how his back problems went back to his UW football days, Onwuzurike underwent surgery a year ago and was placed on the Lions' injured reserve list last September.

Some questioned whether he would be able to play football again. To that point, Onwuzurike concedes that his health issues will never completely go away.  

“I think you 100 percent have to manage it,” he said. “Any injury you get in football, you’re going to have to manage for the rest of your life, for the most part. But I think it will be at the point where I’m not thinking about it. As long as I do my preventative work, do some abs, I’ll be good.”

As Detroit rebuilds the franchise, Onwuzurike joins a defensive-tackle position group that includes a pair of established starters in Alim McNeill and Isaiah Buggs, plus a third-round pick Brodric Martin drafted in April.

Onwuzurike was one of the last players off the practice field Sunday at Detroit's first training-camp session after taking extra reps with rookie guard Colby Sorsdal for nearly a half hour.

"I feel good," Onwuzurike said. "Really sturdy and really strong."

---

Go to si.com/college/washington to read the latest Inside the Huskies stories — as soon as they’re published.

Not all stories are posted on the fan sites.

Find Inside the Huskies on Facebook by searching: Inside Huskies/FanNation at SI.com or https://www.facebook.com/dan.raley.12

Follow Dan Raley of Inside the Huskies on Twitter: @DanRaley1 or @UWFanNation or @DanRaley3

Have a question, direct message me on Facebook or Twitter.