Most NFL prognosticators of note haven’t predicted the rosiest of outcomes for the Cleveland Browns this season, and the bad news heading into training camp doesn’t end there.
Zac Jackson of The Athletic appeared on the “Go Long” podcast on Tuesday, July 22, and offered one of the brighter takes on the Browns’ immediate future — saying essentially that this collection of players can win more than three games, which was Cleveland’s 2024 total, and that the team does not necessarily have to be selecting in the top five again come draft weekend next April.
That is relatively good news coming from a seasoned reporter who has covered the franchise for several years. However, Jackson made a couple of casual references to Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (JOK) that boiled down essentially to predictions that the former Pro-Bowl linebacker’s career is probably over.
Jackson made one such reference in the context of how few proven veterans are both viable and under contract in Cleveland beyond the 2025 campaign.
“This has to be a training camp where guys emerge. And this has to be a year — regardless of what’s in that [win] column at the end — where young players are coming though. Because right now, if you take out the undrafted rookies, at this moment there are only 25 players under contract for 2026,” Jackson said. “And of those 25, one is Deshaun Watson at a cap number of $80 million. One is JOK who is likely to never play again. And a lot of them are just guys, right? So there’s room for young players on this team to emerge and do it at a discounted rate and put [themselves] in the plans.”
Browns Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah Will Miss Entire Season
JOK was a Pro Bowler in 2023. He signed a three-year contract worth $37.5 million total, which included $20 million guaranteed, in August 2024.
Eight games into last season, Owusu-Koramoah sustained a neck injury during a collision with Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry. That injury resulted in JOK missing the second half of the campaign. Then, in May, Cleveland announced it had placed the linebacker on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, which will keep him out for the entirety of 2025.
“While I won’t suit up this season, I’m focused on what I can control — my healing, my mindset and my faith,” Owusu-Koramoah wrote in a statement on May 12. “The body may rest, but the calling never sleeps. I’ve given my heart to this game. I don’t know what’s next, but I’ll continue trusting my medical team, serving the community and backing my brothers on the field.”
Carson Schwesinger Now Among Most Important Players on Browns Roster
Due to JOK’s absence and the importance of the Browns’ defense considering how many questions the team faces on the other side of the football, one of the most crucial young players on the roster is rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger out of UCLA.
Cleveland selected Schwesinger with the No. 33 overall pick in the second round and will likely need him to start from Day 1 to help fill the void that Owusu-Koramoah leaves behind this season, and perhaps for good.
“Despite a massive need for playmakers on offense, the Browns kicked off Day 2 by taking Schwesinger, a 2024 first-team All-American,” Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN wrote on April 26. “If Owusu-Koramoah remains sidelined, Schwesinger could compete to be an early starter in the middle of the Browns’ defense.”
