Detroit Lions: Is Romeo Okwara a one-year wonder or the real deal?
Last season, the Detroit Lions found their leading pass rusher off the waiver wire. Can Romeo Okwara prove he’s more than a one-year wonder?
The Detroit Lions struck gold last season when they claimed former New York Giants defensive end Romeo Okwara off the waiver wire. Undrafted out of Notre Dame back in 2016, Okwara spent his first two seasons in the Big Apple, racking up 28 tackles and a sack in 24 game appearances for the Giants.
In 2017, Okwara suffered a season-ending knee injury (sprained MCL) just 78 snaps into his second season in New York. The following September, the Giants would release Romeo after new head coach Pat Shurmur attempted to move him to outside linebacker in their 3-4 defense.
The Lions scooped up Okwara off the waiver wire and cut a promising Anthony Zettel to make room. That move ended up paying huge dividends for Detroit last season as Okwara started 14 games, recording 39 combined tackles and a team-leading 7.5 sacks.
What ended up being a bad scheme fit in New York became a perfect fit in Detroit under new head coach Matt Patricia. The defensive scheme that Patricia brought over from his former gig as defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots clicked with the third-year defender.
Now the question is can Okwara build on last year’s unexpected performance? That may be difficult as the Lions signed former Patriots’ defensive end Trey Flowers this offseason to a massive five-year, $90 million deal insuring him the bulk of the snaps this year … and beyond.
Okwara played 716 defensive snaps last season in Detroit, which was nearly 73 percent of the Lions’ total defensive snaps in 2018. So the 24-year old’s opportunities will surely take a dive in 2019 due to the presence of Flowers and others like rookie Austin Bryant and the ultra-impressive Da’Shawn Hand.
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In March, the Detroit Lions signed Romeo Okwara to a two-year extension, keeping him in the Motor City through 2020. And although the presence of Trey Flowers and others will surely eat into his snap count, Okwara will simply need to be more effective with his more limited opportunities. So while his numbers may drop, whether Okwara is a one-year wonder or not will be determined by what he does with the snaps he’s given as a possible rotational rusher.