The Cleveland Browns largely had a quiet offseason. They took care of the biggest elephant in the room by signing Myles Garrett to a mammoth contract extension. Other than that, however, the offseason has mostly been about retaining key contributors and adding depth. The quarterback question remains the most important storyline for the Browns heading into the season.
At the same time, that is not the only area with question marks heading into the NFL Draft. The Cleveland Browns were 3-14 last season after all and didn't make a big splash in free agency.
One signing they made was bringing in Joe Tryon-Shoyinka on a one-year, $4.75 million deal. The former first-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will join the Browns' pass-rush rotation in 2025. This means that a struggling defender will find his job in jeopardy.
Ogbo Okoronkwo on Thin Ice Heading into the NFL Draft
Ogbo Okoronkwo had a down year last season, with his metrics tanking across the board. In his second season in Cleveland, Okoronkwo had three sacks, five tackles for loss, and six QB hits in 16 games. He played 45% of the team's defensive snaps but failed to make any impact. As a result, he ranked as the 192nd-best edge defender on Pro Football Focus among 211 eligible players.
The 29-year-old defender is entering the final year of his contract. He has presumably fallen far behind in the pecking order with the arrival of Tryon-Shoyinka. Cleveland's pass-rush rotation consists of Myles Garrett, Isaiah McGuire, Tryon-Shoyinka, and Alex Wright. The Browns still have Cameron Thomas on the roster as well, who showed intriguing flashes and performed well after getting claimed off the waivers for the final stretch of the season.
Whether Okoronkwo will be able to carve out a role for himself remains to be seen. Injuries will happen, and the pass rush is one position teams want to have the depth the most, but it's safe to say that Okoronkwo will not have as large of a role as he did last season if things go according to the plan.