There were few bright spots in the 2021 season for the Lions. One of the them was the breakout campaign enjoyed by cornerback Amani Oruwariye, which may have earned him a new deal. According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the team is considering offering him a contract extension. 
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General manager Brad Holmes confirmed that the Lions “have had internal discussions” regarding Oruwariye. The 26-year-old was a fifth-round pick of Detroit in 2019. He took on starting role in his second season, and progressed a step further this past year, becoming one of the team’s most important defenders. In 14 contests, he made a team-leading six interceptions, doubling his previous career total. He also showed statistical improvement in terms of pass coverage.
“Obviously, with Amani, with the ball production that he had, and just being a good teammate – he’s really developed as a leader”, Holmes said. “He’s still a young guy, as often said sometimes, still has meat left on the bone. There’s still upside in him.”
The Lions had the second-worst scoring defense in the league in 2021, but the play of Oruwariye himself stood out relative to the unit’s overall performance. While Holmes didn’t specify how far along contract talks are at the moment, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if an extension is in his future down the road.
We Are! Way to go Amani!
I can get behind this. He played great last year. Without him last year just think about what the secondary would have given up.