OTAs and mandatory minicamp are officially in the books, as the Cleveland Browns and the other 31 NFL teams now turn their attention to training camp.
The Browns will have a lot of interest and intrigue surrounding their training camp, as they have numerous position battles yet to be decided. However, before we can look ahead to training camp, the Browns shook up their 90-man roster on Thursday, parting ways with a veteran on defense.
According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the Browns announced that they have released veteran defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo.
#Browns have released edge rusher Ogbo Okoronkwo and signed kicker Andre Szmyt, the club announced.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) June 26, 2025
After Cleveland made the announcement, the veteran defensive lineman sent a message to the fan base on Twitter. “Love to the Land!”
Love to the Land!
— Ogbo Okoronkwo | Obeezy (@OgboOkoronkwo) June 26, 2025
It’s shocking the Browns let go of Okoronkwo now, given that he was considered a potential cap casualty earlier this offseason.
That said, the Browns haven’t made many additions to the defensive end spot this offseason, outside of signing free-agent defenders Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Julian Okwara to one-year deals.
Cleveland signed Okoronkwo to a three-year, $19 million contract in Mar. 2023. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2025 campaign.
Okoronkwo played well in his first season with the Browns, posting 31 combined tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 12 QB pressures, eight QB hits, 4.5 sacks, a pass deflection, and a fumble recovery in 14 games. He also played 53% of defensive snaps, which was a career-high for the veteran.
However, the veteran defender saw his snap percentage fall slightly to 45% last season, despite playing 465 snaps. Okoronkwo turned in 23 combined tackles, nine quarterback pressures, six quarterback hits, five tackles for loss, three sacks, and a forced fumble in 16 games (five starts).
According to Pro Football Focus, the veteran defensive lineman posted a 55.4 pass rush grade (145th among 211 EDGEs) and a 48.1 run defense grade (182nd). Neither grade is spectacular, especially for a defender who started in five games
That said, with the Browns not parting ways with Okoronkwo, it will be interesting to see if they will sign another veteran to fill his spot on the roster. However, this also presents an opportunity for Cameron Thomas and Okwara to create an opportunity for themselves in training camp.