Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu Is Transforming Lions' Defense

Can Melifonwu sustain his high level of play?

Detroit Lions safety Ifeatu Melifonwu has dealt with plenty of stops and starts throughout his three-year NFL career. 

Injuries have derailed his momentum seemingly at every turn throughout his career. He made his first career start in just his second NFL game, but followed that by suffering a thigh injury that would land him on injured reserve. 

The next season, an ankle injury limited him to just 10 games. He was trending up heading into this season, but a broken hand limited his reps through the first 12 games. 

However, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn elected to roll Melifonwu out with the starters, when the Lions took on the Chicago Bears in Week 14. 

Against the Denver Broncos in Week 15, now in his third season, Melifonwu finally had his breakout game. 

“This is stuff I knew I could do. I thank God for being healthy and finally being able to be out here," Melifonwu said. This is stuff I had in me and knew I could do all along. My family knew, my friends knew. I will say, they’re not surprised. I’m not surprised by it either.”

The safety recorded eight tackles, two passes defensed and a key forced fumble against Denver. He did so while wearing a club on his recovering hand.

In this effort, he proved exactly what the Lions hoped to see from him when drafting him in the third round in 2021. Melifonwu, to his credit, has stayed the course, and saw his determination pay off.

He has withstood a position change, moving from cornerback to safety after his rookie season. It hasn't been the smoothest transition, in some part simply because injuries have limited the amount of game reps he's been able to log.

However, his last two games offer an encouraging snippet as to what he can provide for the defense. With showings like Saturday's, he's been able to gain confidence and experience.

"Confidence just kinda comes from more execution and just more reps, you just become comfortable with it," Melifonwu explained. "You just continue to stack it, really, that’s where it comes from. Just being out there more." 

The key to maximizing his potential is limiting his injury issues. When healthy, Melifonwu is proving that he can be a key contributor to the Lions' defense. 

Detroit utilized him in a variety of ways Saturday. One of these was to deploy him on a safety blitz, which allowed him to derail Denver's first drive by recording a strip-sack of Russell Wilson. 

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Melifonwu told reporters after the game that the Lions had repped that blitz in practice, against the exact play Denver ran when they recorded the takeaway.

His performance is encouraging for Detroit's defense as a whole. Issues in the secondary have plagued the unit this season, and Glenn has shuffled pieces in an effort to assemble the best grouping in the defensive backfield.

The latest move, to go with Melifonwu, paid dividends against a Broncos team that had won six of its last seven games entering Saturday's matchup.

"Iffy’s continued to grow, you know, and look, Iffy, his thing has really been the durability," Campbell said. "Well, he’s been healthy, he’s been able to stay on the field and his body’s holding up. He’s a smart, athletic, physical player. He’s got length and range. Him back there with Kerby (Joseph), we’re getting better. We’re getting better."

Detroit's secondary is set to get even better when C.J. Gardner-Johnson returns, which could be as soon as next week. 

Still, Melifonwu is proving that he's worth a longer look, as the Lions enter a pivotal playoff chase. His presence in the defensive backfield, at either safety position, can be a major asset in Glenn's defense.