Okoronkwo recorded four tackles, 1.0 sacks and forced a fumble in Sunday's 35-14 loss to the Saints in Week 11.
This was Cleveland's first game since it traded Za'Darius Smith to Detroit, which made snaps available for depth defensive ends. Okoronkwo and Isaiah McGuire were the names most often discussed as beneficiaries of the trade. The sack was the third of the season for Okoronkwo, who was part of the starting 11 on defense and should continue to see a bump in playing time without Smith around.
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Browns' Ogbonnia Okoronkwo: Past knee injury
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Okoronkwo (knee) has no injury designation ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Chargers, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Okoronkwo began the Browns' week of practice with back-to-back limited sessions after sustaining a knee injury in the team's Week 8 win over the Ravens. However, he upgraded to full practice Friday, suggesting that he's moved past his knee issue in time for Week 9. Expect the 29-year-old to serve as the Browns' top rotational defensive end Sunday.
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Browns' Ogbonnia Okoronkwo: Exits game with knee injury
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Okoronkwo (knee) is questionable to return to Sunday's game against Baltimore.
While Okoronkwo is sidelined, Isaiah McGuire will be the Browns' lone backup at defensive end behind starters Myles Garrett and Za'Darius Smith.
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Browns' Ogbonnia Okoronkwo: Set for Sunday
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Okoronkwo (illness) was a full participant during practice Wednesday.
Okoronkwo exited Sunday's loss to the Commanders early due to illness, but when the Browns returned to the practice field Wednesday, the Oklahoma product was feeling well. He should be all set to suit up Week 6 against the Eagles.
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Browns' Ogbonnia Okoronkwo: Exits early
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Okoronkwo (illness) has left Sunday's game against the Commanders, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.
Okoronkwo's exit will be a blow to the Browns' defensive line depth as they finish out Week 5 against the Commanders. While he's sidelined, Sam Kamara and Isaiah McGuire will likely see extra snaps on the edges.
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Browns' Ogbonnia Okoronkwo: Won't play vs. Jets
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Okoronkwo (pectoral) is listed as out for Thursday's game versus the Jets, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Okoronkwo will be sidelined for his third straight game Thursday due to a pectoral tear. In his place, 2022 third-round pick Alex Wright will likely see an uptick in reps as the Browns' top edge rusher off the bench.
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Browns' Ogbonnia Okoronkwo: Season likely over
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Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that Okoronkwo will likely miss the remainder of the season with a pectoral tear, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.
Okoronkwo seemingly suffered the injury in Sunday's win over the Jaguars despite playing 49 percent of the team's defensive snaps and recording two solo tackles and a sack. His potential absence in the weeks ahead will be a blow to the Browns' depth on the defensive line and lead to more opportunities for Alex Wright and Isaiah McGuire.
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Browns' Ogbonnia Okoronkwo: Logs sack versus Pittsburgh
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Okoronkwo recorded one sack in Sunday's Week 11 win over the Steelers.
Okoronkwo also picked up five tackles (four solo) and four TFLs, both of which are new season-highs for the fifth-year edge rusher. On the season, Okoronkwo is up to 3.5 sacks as Myles Garrett's bookend.
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Browns' Ogbonnia Okoronkwo: Goes to Browns on three-year deal
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The Browns and Okoronkwo agreed to terms on a three-year, $19 million contract Monday, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport repiorts.
A former fifth-round pick of the Rams, Okoronkwo finally got a chance to play significant snaps last season with the Texans and recorded five sacks off the edge. He'll be part of the rotation opposite Myles Garrett in Cleveland.
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Texans' Ogbonnia Okoronkwo: Makes strong FA case
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Okoronkwo recorded one tackle and a pass defensed in a 32-31 win over the Colts in Week 18.
Okoronkwo recorded career highs in tackles (44) and sacks (five) in his first year with Houston after three seasons with the Rams. He played a full 17-game season after injuries limited him in Los Angeles. The full season of health and career-high production puts the 27-year-old linebacker in a good position as he heads into free agency.
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Texans' Ogbonnia Okoronkwo: Misses Monday's practice
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Okoronkwo sat out Monday's practice with an undisclosed injury, Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle reports. "We don't think it's anything too serious," head coach Lovie Smith said. "But we'll see. I don't know for sure if he'll be able to go this week. Eventually, he'll be out there."
Okoronkwo, entering his fourth NFL season, was signed to give a boost to the defensive line's pass rush after the unit had limited success in 2021. His contributions in that area showed during the first two preseason games, as he's been one of the more disruptive players. Okoronkwo has registered a combined six tackles, one sack and three quarterback hits over 70 snaps.
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Texans' Ogbonnia Okoronkwo: Headed to Houston
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Okoronkwo has agreed to terms on a deal with the Texans, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reports.
Okoronkwo spent his first four seasons with the Rams. He recorded 13 tackles (seven solo) and two sacks across 13 games n 2022. He will presumably compete for a role at outside linebacker in Houston.
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Rams' Ogbonnia Okoronkwo: Removed from COVID-19 list
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Okoronkwo was activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.
Okoronkwo has played at least 13 defensive snaps in every game in which he's been active this season. He'll likely have a similar role Sunday against the Vikings. Across 10 appearances, the third-year linebacker has totaled 15 tackles and two sacks.
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Rams' Ogbonnia Okoronkwo: Activated from injured reserve
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The Rams activated Okoronkwo (shoulder) from injured reserve Saturday, Kevin Modesti of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
Okoronkwo will look to make his 2021 debut during Week 4. The 26-year-old appeared in 10 contests last season and notched 12 tackles, one sack and one pass deflection.
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Rams' Ogbonnia Okoronkwo: Designated to return from IR
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Okoronkwo (shoulder) has been designated to return from injured reserve Wednesday, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.
Okoronkwo will have a three-week window to be added to the active roster. If he isn't, then he will spend the remainder of the season on IR. The 26-year-old appeared in 10 contests last season and notched 12 tackles, one sack and one pass deflection.
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Rams' Ogbonnia Okoronkwo: All clear for Week 15
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Okoronkwo (undisclosed) is active for Sunday's game against the Jets.
Okoronkwo was instructed to stay away from team facilities for a portion of the practice week, as the Rams aimed to mitigate COVID-19 spread following a positive test within the organization. The 25-year-old hasn't yet started a game for L.A. this season, but he has garnered a workload of 18.3 defensive snaps per game over seven 2020 appearances. He has an opportunity to build on his modest sack total of one against a Jets offensive line that is tied for the seventh-most sacks surrendered on the campaign (2.8 per game).
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Rams' Ogbonnia Okoronkwo: Designated to return from IR
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The Rams designated Okoronkwo (elbow) to return from IR on Wednesday.
Consequently, Okoronkwo's 21-day practice window has opened, and he could be available to play as soon as Sunday against San Francisco. The linebacker filled a situational role in his three games before getting injured, notching eight tackles (six solo), a sack and a pass breakup.
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Rams' Ogbonnia Okoronkwo: Unlikely to return Week 10
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Okoronkwo (elbow) isn't expected to return from injured reserve and play Sunday against the Seahawks, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports.
The 25-year-old underwent elbow surgery in mid-October and was given a four- to six-week recovery timeline, and he has yet to be designated to return from injured reserve. Once Okoronkwo receives the return designation, he'll have a 21-day window to practice and potentially be activated before reverting to injured reserve for the rest of the season.
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Rams' Ogbonnia Okoronkwo: Set to miss four to six weeks
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Okoronkwo will undergo elbow surgery and is expected to miss four to six weeks, Stu Jackson of the Rams' official site reports.
The Rams likely will place Okoronkwo on injured reserve within the next couple of days. Coach Sean McVay relayed Wednesday that losing Okoronkwo is a big hit to the teams' defense since the third-year linebacker has been "playing so well." He's recorded eight tackles, a sack and a pass breakup through three games in a situational role. Samson Ebukam and rookie Terrell Lewis could both receive bumps in usage until Okoronkwo returns.
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Rams' Ogbonnia Okoronkwo: Suffers elbow injury
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Okoronkwo suffered an elbow injury during Sunday's game against Washington and is considered questionable to return, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
The Oklahoma product registered his first sack of 2020 during a 17-9 win over the Giants last Sunday, but he had not yet logged a tackle prior to his exit against Washington in Week 5. Okoronkwo was not being counted on for starting snaps in the Rams' linebacker rotation, but he had garnered an average of 20.3 defensive snaps per game Weeks 1 through 4. This development thins out the left outside linebacker spot behind Samson Ebukam should Okoronkwo prove unable to return.
