The Cleveland Browns announced the signing of defensive end Julian Okwara on Monday, adding more depth to their pass-rushing group.
Okwara is a former third-round pick by the Detroit Lions. He spent the first four years of his career with Detroit after a standout collegiate run at Notre Dame. Okwara saw action in 38 games with the Lions, including four starts, and tallied 54 total tackles. He also added nine sacks, 12 tackles for loss, 16 quarterback hits, three passes defensed, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and an interception.
Okwara joined the Arizona Cardinals last season, initially signing to the team’s practice squad before earning a promotion to the active roster in September. He appeared in 13 games with one start, contributing 18 tackles, three tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, a sack, and a pass deflection in his lone season with the Cardinals.
Okwara joins a pass-rush group that features Myles Garrett, Sam Kamara, Isaiah McGuire, Ogbo Okoronkwo, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Alex Wright
The terms of the deal were not immediately announced. But it’s likely not a big-money contract, considering Okwara’s last deal was for one year and $1.125 million with the Cardinals.
Browns Building Depth Around Myles Garrett
The Browns’ most significant offseason move was locking in Garrett with a massive extension. It ended any drama about his trade request. Garrett’s four-year extension averages $40 million per year and includes $123.5 million in guaranteed money.
During his campaign for a trade, Garrett said that he disagreed with the direction of the team and the path to becoming a contender after a 3-14 campaign. After signing his deal, he said he didn’t mind going public with his trade request.
“I think I had some frustration, and I feel like that helped us grow and have conversations that were difficult but needed to be had and that created a little bit more discourse,” Garrett said. “It helped build some relationships and reaffirm them. And now I feel like we’re in a better place and now we can move on and grow from there.”
Browns Want Myles Garrett to be a Leader
Garrett is the Browns’ all-time leader in sacks. He’s notched 102.5 sacks through eight seasons, including 14 or more in his last four. His impact on the field cannot be questioned. But the Browns would like to see him step up as a leader.
“What we’ve challenged Myles on is, by his practice habits, by his actions, etc., to become a real leader of the team,” Browns owner Jimmy Haslam told cleveland.com. “And he has said he’d do that and we’re hopeful that he will be.”
Garrett, 29, is open to growing and embracing a more significant role as a leader.
“I’ll continue to be the person that I have been,” he said. “And I think just being that constant leader, I don’t think you can put a dollar sign on that at any time. Leaders come from guys who are undrafted to guys who are the highest paid. It doesn’t take a playmaker to be a leader, nor does it take, like I said, a dollar sign. So continue to learn to be more and more a leader every year and every day.”
