Safety Will Harris still has undefined role in defense
Will Harris showcased some supreme versatility in the Lions’ defensive backfield a season ago.
The 26-year-old lined up not only at his traditional position of safety, but also at outside and slot cornerback, due to a variety of physical and health ailments (a COVID-19 outbreak) suffered by the team’s other defensive backs.
The Boston College product did all of this while suiting up for all 17 games in 2021.
Now, going into 2022, the fourth-year pro doesn’t exactly have a defined role.
“I think Will, part of his strength is his versatility. That’s one of his greatest attributes, which we came to find out last year,” Detroit head coach Dan Campbell said, via Lions beat reporter Justin Rogers. “I think he’s a jack of all trades. We’re still talking right now. You just go out day one, do you put him at corner or do you put him at safety? I’ll be honest, we haven’t just locked that down right now. We’re still kind of talking about it. That’s not a bad thing.”
Harris logged a teamhigh 1,012 defensive snaps last season, while producing a career-best 93 total tackles, a forced fumble and four passes defensed.
Detroit general manager Brad Holmes will likely be selecting at least one defensive back in this April’s NFL Draft. No matter what direction he goes in, whether it be drafting a cornerback or a safety, it will likely play a large factor in determining Harris’ role with the Lions this upcoming season.
Onwuzurike committed to improvement
When dissecting the game film or even the stat line of Levi Onwuzurike from last season, it won’t take too long to realize that he didn’t have the most impactful rookie campaign.
Despite playing in 16 games, Onwuzurike, the Lions’ second-round pick in 2021 (No. 41 overall), failed to make a single start, and he recorded just 35 total tackles, a lone QB hit and a single sack. The 6-foot-3, 295-pound defensive lineman also produced a paltry three QB pressures on 184 pass-rush snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
From all accounts, though, he’s committed to getting better going into his second season in the league. This has been best exemplified by the fact that he’s spent a significant amount of time at the Lions’ Allen Park practice facility throughout the course of the offseason.
Campbell believes the time Onwuzurike is putting in now to work on his craft will help the University of Washington product take the next step in his career.
“As we all know, you don’t make any greater jumps than you do from (year) one to two,” Campbell said, via Rogers. “That is the greatest jump that most guys make. …So, we’re expecting him to take a leap forward, you know? I know he’s of the right mindset.
“…He’s put his money where his mouth is. I know that from a training standpoint, he’s got enough pride, and he knows what he needs to do. Everybody learns at a different rate in this league, man.”