The Detroit Lions will kick off their preseason slate this Friday against the Atlanta Falcons. Unfortunately, they will do so without some key defensive members, Levi Onwuzurike and Julian Okwara, as they continue to miss practice.
Onwuzurike has not practiced for nearly two weeks after getting caught in a pile-up that looks to have aggravated the back/hip. The same problem area he dealt with during training camp kept him out for a significant amount of time and continued to linger throughout last season.
“We just got to get it calmed down,” Campbell said. “The kid’s in a good place, and he’s getting back from it; he’s put in a lot of good work and so get him calmed down and get him right, get him realigned, and I think he’ll be fine.”
After being drafted in the second round of the 2021 draft, Onwuzurike has been looked at as a key player for a defensive line that saw major upgrades this season after the drafting of Aidan Hutchinson and Josh Paschal. Unfortunately, with the injury setting him back again, he continues to miss out on valuable reps to get him fully ready for the upcoming season. Still, the coaches believe he is progressing despite not being on the field.
“Certainly, all the reps he can get is good for him,” Campbell said. “He needs ‘em. He needs all of them, just like all these young players do. But at the same token, he’s doing all he can do, and we’re doing all we can do to help him get back out there. He’s getting better every day, he’s progressing. We’ll just take it as it comes.”
With Onwuzurike dealing with the injury, players who might’ve been considered to be on the bubble have taken advantage of the extra reps they might not have gotten and are making some roster noise in the process, in particular, Demetrius Taylor. He continues to impress the coaches, and it will be interesting to see how he progresses throughout training camp and preseason.
As for Julian Okwara, he has missed his fourth straight practice with an undisclosed injury, and with his injury history, it is something not to overlook. However, while Okwara is hampering, a player that is looking quite impressive on the field is Austin Bryant, who has vastly improved and looks to cement his roster spot.
Even though each player has had their share of injury problems, Coach Campbell put minds at ease downgrading the severity of the injuries as the players should be ready for Week 1.
“Both of them have, I would say it’s not serious but yet it’s enough to where I can’t tell you, is it going to be a week? Two weeks?” Campbell said. “But it’s not a serious long-term issue, either one of those guys.”
