Detroit Lions: Romeo, Romeo! Where forth art thou Romeo?

Romeo stepping up would be a big key to success

So what type of rabbit will Matt Patricia pull out of his hat to pressure opposing passers? Last year his strategy was simple; leave it up to the defensive line. The domino effect was that the secondary was hung out to dry.

There is no question that Undlin and the Lions defense has to use the blitz more this season to help out, but one of the things that would really help out the pass-rush would be if Romeo Okwara returned to his form of two years ago.

When Matt Patricia took over for the 2018 season he dismantled the defensive line that was in place and started finding new pieces that would fit his scheme better. One of those pieces was Romeo Okwara.

After being scooped up off the New York Giants waiver wire scrap heap, Romeo joined the Lions in time for opening day. It took a couple of weeks and games to get acclimated to Patricia’s defense, but once he did he became a valuable contributor.

The elder Okwara finished his first season in Detroit with seven sacks. It’s not a number that lights the world on fire, but it did certainly raise expectations that he would be a valuable contributor to the Lions pass-rush.

Instead, Romeo was missing in action last season. Finishing with zero sacks and little impact, he became the forgotten member of the defensive line. Only remembered when his younger brother Julian was selected by the Lions in the third round of the draft.

Preparing for this season we have become preoccupied with what Cory Undlin might be able to contribute schematically to revitalize the pass-rush.

Undlin probably understands that much like baseball teams without power hitters have to manufacture runs, the Lions will need to manufacture pressure. Blitzing is always a risky business, especially against smart quarterbacks, but giving them all the time in the world is not the answer either.

But if some healthy competition and a sibling rivalry are able to get Romeo back on track, then he could certainly be a key piece to help get more out of the pass-rush, thus giving the Lions an opportunity to not only be playing ‘meaningful games in December’ but maybe a meaningful playoff game too.