People may be hyping up Ogbonnia Okoronkwo too much

The Cleveland Browns have signed Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and the pressure on him is unreal.

The Cleveland Browns took a huge gamble on Ogbonnia Okoronkwo this offseason, signing the soon-to-be 28-year-old to a three-year, $19 million contract. The Browns will mark his third team in three seasons, and despite producing very little in the way of tangible results, many believe that Okoronkwo will exceed and excel in Jim Schwartz’s defense.

So much so that even outlets like Pro Football Focus’s Brad Spielberger are counting him among the most underrated free agent signings, next to the likes of former Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

Okoronkwo may have a massive year for the Browns, that possibility exists and it should be noted as such. But the pressure many people are putting on him is high. He’s only ever started eight games in his four-year career and hasn’t been good enough to stick around in either Los Angeles or Houston, but many think he’s not only worth this massive contract but that he’s about to break out in Cleveland.

That he’s going to become the perfect compliment to Myles Garrett. The Browns better be right about that.

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo has us feeling Paul Kruger vibes

Okoronkwo is not the only player in recent Browns’ history that the team took a big swing on, thinking he’d  “break out” and become a major star. The most recent defensive player, who only started seven regular season games prior to arriving in Cleveland was Paul Kruger. While Kruger would have a strong second season, racking up 11 sacks, he never lived up to his massive contract and could be rightfully seen as a bust of a signing.

The team wasn’t better with him, nor did he affect opposing offenses greatly.

With Okoronkwo, you have a player who has 9.5 career sacks, with a career-high of 5. He’s also been a linebacker for most of his career and at 6’1, won’t exactly be able to use his size against most of the NFL’s offensive linemen. He may be able to out-quick someone, but if he starts dealing with a sore ankle, that idea goes out the window.

It’s entirely possible Okoronkwo does break out. Heck, if you were playing him at middle linebacker, you may have more people high on his signing.

But he’s untested, unproven, and at 28 years old is about to start declining. So what is a realistic expectation for him?

50 tackles, six sacks, and maybe a few forced fumbles? If that’s what he contributes, would that be enough for fans, considering how much he was paid?

If he hits 10 sacks and helps take pressure off of Garrett, then his signing is more than worth it and may be a bargain. That just doesn’t happen that often with guys like him.