Eagles sign former third-round edge rusher with NFL experience

Julian Okwara, an experienced edge rusher, was signed by the Eagles on Wednesday.

In the 2020 NFL Draft, the Lions selected 26-year-old Okwara out of Notre Dame in the third round. He has four seasons of experience.

Okwara has nine sacks, sixteen quarterback hits, twelve TFLs, and fifty-four tackles in 38 career games (four starts). With five sacks and an interception in 2021, he enjoyed his greatest season to date

Okwara made nine appearances and one start for the Lions in the previous campaign. However, in order to activate James Houston from IR, they waived him in January. Following his waiver clearance, Okwara was then signed by the Lions to their practice squad. After the season, Okwara was not signed to a futures contract; as a result, he was free to sign in February..

Romeo Okwara, an edge rusher with the Lions with eight years of NFL experience, has a younger brother named Julian Okwara.

A lot of excitement was generated about Julian Okwara during the 2020 Draft. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com rated Okwara as a second-round pick:

The lanky edge rusher had a rather disappointing senior season that saw a decline in performance and terminated early due to a fractured leg, following on an excellent 2018 campaign. Just one glance at his NFL sibling, Romeo Okwara

Teams should be advised by Lions to gradually present Julian as a larger, stronger player. He needs a rush counter badly to keep tackles guessing since he possesses good build-up speed around the edge and a great closing burst to seal the deal. His NFL success could be attributed entirely to his rush-causing skills, as he hasn’t demonstrated a consistent ability to play the run.

Although Okwara hasn’t been able to make significant progress in the NFL, he has been useful on defense and on occasion on special teams.

This offseason, the Eagles must make a few choices about their edge rusher position. Haason Reddick has expressed his desire to stay in Philadelphia, but he has been given freedom to look for a trade. Reddick is seeking a new contract; we’ll see whether the Eagles grant it to him.

In addition to Reddick, Josh Sweat is about to approach a contract year, so he also needs to make a choice. Additionally, veteran Brandon Graham wants to play one more season in the NFL, making him a free agent. In 2024, when Nolan Smith enters his second NFL season as a first-round choice, the Eagles will likewise want more from him.

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