When Dan Campbell and the Lions placed defensive end Levi Onwuzurike on the reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list last week, the writing was already on the wall. The former second-round pick was coming off a major surgery, and under PUP rules, he was set to miss at least the first four games of the 2025 season. Neither Campbell nor the team offered many details at the time, but the situation clearly hinted at something serious.

That suspicion was confirmed on Sunday when Campbell opened training camp media sessions with a tough update: Onwuzurike will miss the entire 2025 season due to a knee injury. The head coach described that “Levi’s surgery was — it was significant. But it need to be done. Out of his control, and it needed to be done,” leaving little doubt about the severity. It’s a major blow for both the 27-year-old DT and a Lions defense counting on depth up front.

Injuries have been a part of Onwuzurike’s brief NFL career. Take his second year with the Lions, for instance. Detroit placed him on injured reserve with a back injury. The guy then went under the knife during the Lions’ bye week. And just like that, his second season in the NFL was over without a single snap. Year three? Nothing to be optimistic about. His back surgery limited him to just 10 games. However, the guy came back stronger in the 2024 season.

Last year, Onwuzurike showed up in 16 games, and tallied 28 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. Add his 47 pressures (including the playoffs), which were a team-high mark, and you could feel that the 27-year-old was now leaving his past injuries behind. But an ACL injury again interrupted his season when he was supposed to fill the gap left by Alim McNeill due to a torn ACL. That said, the first-round pick Tyleik Williams will now take on a larger role.

“Certainly, losing Levi, that hurts,” Campbell said. “But it helps that we’ve got Tyleik. … I think, all in all, we’re pretty good. I like what we’ve got in that room. We’ve got an opportunity there for a lot of guys. We know we’ll get (McNeill) back at some point during the season. … We’ve got to weather any storm until we get reinforcements. Because reinforcements are coming, at least we know that.” But amid the storm of injuries and uncertainty clouding the Lions‘ roster, Dan Campbell offered a flicker of hope—a steady light in the chaos. The return of veteran OC, Taylor Decker.

Dan Campbell announces ‘good chance’ for Taylor Decker’s return

The Lions were expected to be among the top contenders come January. And while their roster still holds elite talent, the shadow of injuries continues to haunt Dan Campbell and his team. It all started when they placed six of their players on the PUP list. Besides Levi Onwuzurike (now out of the 2025 season), left tackle Taylor Decker, defensive tackle Alim McNeill, and linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez won’t take part in the team’s practice sessions.

Campbell expects McNeill to return at any point in the season, no doubt. But the head coach is certain about the timeline of Decker’s return. As per Campbell, Decker is expected to return after the HOF game. The HOF game is scheduled for July 31 and will feature the Lions against the Chargers at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.

“We feel like there’s a good chance we can get (Decker) back after the Hall of Fame Game,” he said. “He’s good. Just cleaned up his shoulder a little bit, and we’re going to work him back in when he’s ready to go. He’s in a good place.” The Lions didn’t specify Decker’s injury, but we can expect the 31-year-old to show up in Week 1.

Aside from Onwuzurike’s season-ending injury update and Decker’s possible return after the HOF game, the head coach confirmed that defensive lineman Josh Paschal is targeting a return to practice around Labor Day (clean-up surgery). Paschal was placed on the non-football injury list. As the Lions opened training camp, Dan Campbell also confirmed that LB Alex Anzalone, DE Al-Quadin Muhammad, and LB Anthony Pittman were not participating in today’s practice.

All things considered, the Lions are the top contender in the NFC North, no argument there. But they still have to tackle their injury issues, with the regular season inching closer.