Julian Okwara Injury News & Updates

Cleveland released Okwara (ribs) on Tuesday, Kelsey Russo of the Browns' official site reports.

Okwara wasn't able to earn a spot on the Browns' final 53-man roster for 2025, and now he's bound for free agency. He'll be free to sign with any team, but there's a chance he ultimately ends up on Cleveland's practice squad.

Okwara is questionable to return to Saturday's preseason game against the Rams due to a rib injury.

Okwara suffered the injury in the third quarter during a Brennan Presley 24-yard reception. Okwara was able to walk off the field under his own power, and if he doesn't return he'll finish Saturday's game with one tackle.

The Browns signed Okwara to a contract Monday, Kelsey Russo of the team's official site reports.

Okwara appeared in 13 regular-season games with the Cardinals in 2024, in which span he racked up 18 tackles (10 solo), including 1.0 sacks, plus one pas defensed. He operated at outside linebacker in Arizona but may settle into a depth role at defensive end with Cleveland.

Okwara finished the 2024 season with 18 total tackles (10 solo), including 1.0 sacks, while also adding a pass defensed over 13 games.

Okwara operated as a depth option at linebacker for the Cardinals in 2024, stepping up on occasion to occupy a significant role on the team's defense. The linebacker matched a career-high in 13 games played and his 18 total tackles were the second highest total of his five-year NFL career. Okwara will enter the offseason as an unrestricted free agent and he'll likely look for another opportunity elsewhere in an attempt to find a starting role.

Okwara is set to start alongside linebackers Kyzir White and Mack Wilson after Dennis Gardeck suffered a season-ending ACL injury during Monday's win over the Chargers, Kevin Zimmerman of Arizona Sports reports.

Gardeck, who leads the Cardinals with three sacks this season, tore his ACL in the second half of Monday's game, and he will be out for the rest of the year. Okwara stepped in with the first-team defense following Gardeck's injury, and the former finished the game with one solo tackle across 35 snaps, including a season-high 29 snaps on defense. Okwara is the top candidate to start at linebacker alongside White and Wilson, though Krys Barnes and Jesse Luketa should also see their snaps on defense increase. Okwara's most productive season came in 2021 as a member of the Lions, during which he registered 27 tackles (18 solo), including 5.0 sacks, two pass breakups, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery across 13 regular-season games.

The Eagles signed Okwara to a reserve/future contract Wednesday.

Okwara will head to Philadelphia after getting waived by the Lions last month. The 26-year-old will now look to compete for a depth spot along the team's defensive line.

Okwara was waived by the Lions on Thursday.

Okwara was let go in order to make room on the active roster for James Houston (ankle), who was activated off injured reserve in a corresponding move. Okwara will now look to catch on with another team after compiling just seven tackles (six solo), including two sacks, through nine games played this season.

Okwara (knee) is active Sunday against the Panthers.

Okwara started the season on IR after suffering an injury during the team's final preseason game. After missing the mandatory four games, the Notre Dame product is ready to return to action and make his first appearance of the season. He should be a regular part of the Lions' rotation on the defensive line against Carolina.

Okwara (knee) was activated from injured reserve Saturday.

Okwara suffered a knee injury during Detroit's preseason finale, but it seems as if he's since had time to move past the issue. Over the past three seasons, the 25-year-old defensive end has recorded 29 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss and seven sacks for the Lions' defense.

Okwara (knee) was designated to return from injured reserve by the Lions on Monday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Okwara will now have a 21-day window to return to practice and ultimately be added to the active roster. If he's unable to do so, the defensive end will revert to IR for the remainder of the 2023 campaign. Okwara has been unavailable since Aug. 31 following a knee injury.

The Lions placed Okwara (knee) on injured reserve Thursday, Colton Pouncy of The Athletic reports.

Okwara sustained a knee injury in the Lions' preseason finale against the Panthers on Saturday. The 2020 third-round pick out of Notre Dame will be forced to sit out the first four games of the season.

Okwara was active during OTAs earlier this month for the Lions.

Okwara finished his 2022 campaign on IR after suffering an elbow injury in a Thanksgiving Day loss to the Bills. His participation at OTAs would suggest a clean bill of health, which has not been entirely common for the 25-year-old. A third-round selection in the 2020 Draft, Okwara hasn't played in more than 13 games in a single season but he has been a regular part of Detroit's defensive line rotation when able to suit up.

The Lions placed Okwara (elbow) on injured reserve Saturday.

Okwara was forced out with an elbow injury during Detroit's loss to the Bills on Thanksgiving Day, and he was already ruled out for Sunday's game versus Jacksonville. The 24-year-old defensive end will now be forced to sit out until at least Week 17 against Chicago, though it's possible he could remain sidelined for the rest of the regular season. In his absence, Josh Paschal and John Cominsky will likely take on bigger roles behind Aidan Hutchinson and Romeo Okwara, who was also activated from the reserve/PUP list Saturday.

Okwara (elbow) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Jaguars, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Okwara exited the Lions' Week 12 matchup against the Bills with the injury. He failed to practice in any capacity and is in line to miss his second contest of the season. In 10 games on the campaign, Okwara has recorded 17 total tackles with two sacks.

Okwara has exited Thursday's game against the Bills with an elbow injury.

Okwara suffered the injury as he fell to the turf chasing after Josh Allen. While the third-year pro is out, James Houston and Austin Bryant will likely continue to see an uptick in opportunities.

Okwara was a full participant at practice Wednesday.

Okwara had been dealing with a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined versus Philadelphia, but he now appears to have fully recovered. The third-year linebacker out of Notre Dame should be available to provide some depth on the edge behind Aidan Hutchinson and Charles Harris in Week 2 versus Washington.

Okwara (hamstring) is inactive Week 1 against the Eagles.

Okwara was limited in practice all week and appeared to be a true game-time call heading into the opener, but it ultimately wasn't mean to be. The third-year pass-rush specialist had a career-best five sacks in 2021, but will now have to wait until at least Week 2 to begin his follow-up campaign.

The Lions have given Okwara (hamstring) a questionable designation ahead of Sunday's season opener versus the Eagles, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Okwara was limited at practice all week and is shaping up to be a true game-time decision. Final confirmation on his status will come closer to kickoff.

Okwara (lower leg) was added to the Lions' injury report this week, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Okwara is dealing with a lower leg injury, but head coach Dan Campbell believes he has a shot to play Week 1 versus the Eagles. The 24-year-old is expected to be the starting strong-side linebacker for the Lions this year when healthy.

Okwara projects as the starting strong-side linebacker in Detroit's base defense, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Okwara saw a jump in playing time last year after seeing less than 100 as a rookie in 2020. It seems that he's now set to make another large jump after recording five sacks over 342 defensive snaps in 2021. However, it remains to be seen what proportion of his snaps will afford him pass-rush opportunities now that he'll serve as more of a linebacker in the Lions' new 4-3 defense.

Okwara (ankle) was a full participant at Wednesday's practice.

Okwara has missed three straight games due to the ankle injury, but after a full practice to start the week, it appears he will return for Sunday's contest against the Seahawks. Before his absence, the 2020 third-round pick had played at least 27 snaps and recorded multiple tackles in seven straight games. Okwara will likely have a similar workload against Seattle.

Okwara (ankle) is inactive for Sunday against the Falcons.

Okwara will miss a third straight game for the Lions, after logging limited practices Thursday and Friday. In his absence, Jessie Lemonier will likely continue to see extra opportunity.

Okwara (ankle) is listed as questionable to play against Atlanta on Sunday.

The linebacker has missed each of the Lions' past two contests with the ankle injury, but he was able to log a limited practice session Thursday and Friday. If Okwara is unable to suit up against the Falcons, Jessie Lemonier would be in line to again see increased snaps.

Okwara (ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

Okwara will be sidelined for the second straight game due to the ankle injury. Jessie Lemonier should continue to see increased reps in his absence for Detroit.

Okwara (ankle) will not play Sunday against the Broncos, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Okwara has seen his role steadily rise throughout the season, but now he'll have to watch from the sidelines Sunday. With Trey Flowers (knee) hitting IR this week and Jalen Reeves-Maybin (shoulder) also out Sunday, the Lions' linebacker unit is getting thin. Jessie Lemonier should likely see a healthy boost in snaps in place of Okwara.

Okwara logged two tackles and one quarterback hit during Saturday's preseason loss to Pittsburgh.

After missing practice early on in training camp, Okwara topped his rookie year stat line during his preseason debut against the Bills. While handling another significant amount of reps against the Steelers, Okwara again displayed an ability to rush the passer. While the Notre Dame product is cemented under Trey Flowers and Romeo Okwara in the outside linebacker rotation, Julian Okwara seems ready to be a key contributor for the Detroit defense this year.

Okwara exited Wednesday's practice with an undisclosed injury, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Okwara reportedly spent several minutes stretching his side before ultimately finishing practice on the sidelines without pads on. It's not clear if his availability for next week's preseason opener is in danger.

Okwara was activated from injured reserve Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle reports.

Okwara has not taken the field since Week 6, as he has been nursing an undisclosed injury. Primarily a reserve and special teams contributor, do not expect the defensive end to see a ton of action Sunday against the Buccaneers.

The Lions designated Okwara (undisclosed) for return from injured reserve Wednesday.

Detroit will now have 21 days to evaluate Okwara at practice without his counting against the active roster. The rookie third-round pick played a depth role in four appearances earlier this season.

Okwara (undisclosed) was placed on IR on Wednesday, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

The nature of Okwara's injury remains unclear, but he won't be eligible to suit up again until Nov. 15 against Washington at the earliest.

Okwara (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game versus the Packers.

The rookie third-rounder suited up in Week 1 against the Bears, logging 18 total snaps but failing to record a tackle. He's a healthy scratch Sunday, and he'll look to get back into the lineup in Week 3 against the Cardinals.