In the 2024 offseason, the Cleveland Browns signed standout linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah to a three-year, $39 million deal after his successful three seasons with the team. A fan favorite and a talented defender, JOK suffered a scary neck injury in Week 8 against the Ravens. Since then, the Browns have failed to provide any meaningful injury updates that give us an idea about the status of Owusu-Koramoah.
The moves the Browns have made this offseason, however, give us an insight into the latest on JOK. First, Cleveland re-signed LB Devin Bush. Then, on Friday, Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot reported that the team was signing Cleveland native and Ohio State standout Jerome Baker.
More on the #Browns agreeing to terms with former #Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker on a free agent contract. Cleveland native and former #Buckeye who visited on Thursday: -->https://t.co/xCBOebLSIm
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) March 22, 2025
NFL News: Browns Sign Former Ohio State Standout LB Jerome Baker
Baker's addition doesn't come as a surprise as the seven-year veteran visited the team earlier in the week.
After three seasons at Ohio State, Baker was a third-round pick by the Miami Dolphins in the 2018 NFL Draft. After six successful seasons in Miami, Baker signed with the Seahawks in the 2024 offseason. He was traded to the Titans mid-season, in exchange for Ernest Jones. He appeared in five games for Tennessee in the second half of the season. In ten total games last season, Baker received a 61.0 defensive grade on PFF and had two sacks, two tackles for loss, and three QB hits.
Baker now joins the linebacker room with Bush, Jordan Hicks, Mohamoud Diabate, Nathaniel Watson, and Winston Reid. What the future holds for Watson and Reid in their second NFL season remains to be seen. If and where Owusu-Koramoah fits in this rotation is another question we have to wait to find the answer to.