On Wednesday, the Philadelphia Eagles revealed that they had signed Julian Okwara, a former third-round pick of the Detroit Lions.
Late in the 2023 Lions season, Okwara was cut and re-signed to the practice squad. When the season concluded and Okwara’s practice squad contract expired, the Lions decided not to sign him to a futures deal, making him a free agent free to sign with any team right away. He was not elevated in any of the Lions’ playoff games.
After an injury at Notre Dame disrupted his promising collegiate career, Okwara, 26, was taken in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft in the hopes of becoming a full-time pass rusher. This was in contrast to the previous regime’s expectations. Regretfully, Okwara was never able to climb the depth chart. In his four seasons with the Lions, he would start just four games and end up with 54 tackles, 9.0 sacks, and 16 quarterback hits.
Okwara persevered through injuries once more during the previous campaign, eventually making nine game appearances. But Okwara became expendable when the Lions needed a roster place for James Houston.
We should take a close look at the 49ers’ desperate need for another game-winning play.
Romeo, Julian’s brother, is still a member of the Lions, but his deal is scheduled to terminate in March. Romeo will become an unrestricted free agency on March 13 at the beginning of the new league season, though it is unknown if the Lions are interested in having him return. For the previous four years, Julian and Romeo were members of the Lions team together.
Visit our 2024 Lions live-updating contracts list to view the most recent active contracts and cap hits for the Lions.
