No one would blame you if you didn't know who Julian Okwara was, especially before his arrival in Cleveland this past April. The former third-round pick by the Detroit Lions has not been the success that many had hoped he'd be when he landed with the Lions in 2023. Since then, he's bounced from the Lions to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Arizona Cardinals, and now to the Browns.
He's proven to be a very inconsistent player during his time in the NFL, but Okwara may be poised to shake things up in 2025. During the first outing against the Carolina Panthers this past Friday, it's fair to say that few thought Okwara was going to be much of a force on the Browns, but then the journeyman had a stellar game.
Against the Panthers, Okwara had two tackles, both for losses, two hits on the quarterback, and an additional two sacks. If this were a regular-season victory, he'd likely have taken home MVP honors for the game, maybe even Defensive Player of the Week. It's that impressive of a stat line. Sadly for Okwara, it's just the preseason, and his performance won't carry the same weight it would ordinarily.
So no, we're not going to start a campaign putting Okwara on the short-list for Defensive Player of the Year, and heck, no one should be advocating for him to be a starter for the Browns just yet. No, all that's being said is that he's on the shortlist of guys who are impressing people when they're not supposed to.
If he can do more of the same across the next two weeks, not only will there be a lot of voices hoping he makes the team, but there will be a genuine push to have him as a rotational guy on the defensive line. He could become a nice filler piece behind the team's starters for a strong defense.
If that becomes the case, few would have predicted that when he got signed.