The Detroit Lions have made their final roster moves for their Week 1 matchup against the New Orleans Saints, and it’s all focused on getting their defensive line ready.
The Lions announced on Saturday that they have elevated veteran defensive lineman Ben Stille from the practice squad, and they’ve also re-signed Levi Onwuzurike to the practice squad—one day after releasing him from the 53-man roster.
Starting with Onwuzurike, it’s not surprising to see him back on the team. As a vested veteran, Onwuzurike’s
$1.215 million contract would have become fully guaranteed had he been on the 53-man roster during Detroit’s Week 1 game. It’s very possible the Lions bring Onwuzurike back on the 53-man squad next week, but it’s notable that he was not elevated for Sunday, so he will not play this week.
Instead, the Lions opted for Stille, who plays a very similar role to Onwuzurike. A former undrafted player out of Nebraska, Stille has played in just 18 games since entering the league in 2022, and he did not play a single game in 2025. This will be his first NFL action since Week 9 of the 2024 season, when he was with the Arizona Cardinals.
Stille was added about a week into Lions training camp, and he made a quick impression with his strength and versatility.
“He’s a pro, smart, really smart,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said two weeks ago. “He’s got versatility, strong, very strong. He can shed blocks, shock, shed, make plays, kind of knows himself, knows what he is, knows his own limitations and can play fast enough to cover up for some of those. But that’s what’s the intrigue with him is the versatility, man. He can play some big end, we think; he can play the nose certainly, and then three if you needed it. So the more you can do and the more that you can prove you can do, that is always going to help your case.”
Interestingly enough, the Lions opted not to elevate Seth McLaughlin from the practice squad. That means Detroit will go into the game without a clear backup center behind Juice Scruggs, although they did give starting right guard Tate Ratledge some center reps in training camp as an emergency plan.
