Romeo Okwara Fantasy Stats

Detroit Lions defensive end Romeo Okwara announced his retirement from professional football on Tuesday after eight seasons in the NFL. "After some introspection and meditation I have decided to step away from the NFL," Okwara wrote on his Instagram account. The 28-year-old appeared in 16 games for the Lions last year, registering nine tackles, five QB hits and two sacks as part of the team's defensive-line rotation. He was set to be a free agent this offseason. Okwara entered the league in 2016 with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame. He spent his first two seasons with the G-Men before being claimed off waivers by the Lions in 2018. Okwara led the Lions with 7.5 sacks in 2018, and his 23 career sacks rank as the fourth-most by an NFL player born in Nigeria.

Detroit Lions defensive ends Romeo Okwara and Charles Harris were potential salary cap casualties this offseason, but they have both agreed to take significant pay cuts to stay with the team in 2023. Harris was scheduled to have an $8 million cap hit, but he agreed to reduce his base salary from $6 million to $3 million after missing 11 games with a recurring groin injury in 2022. His 2023 cap hit was reduced to $5.16 million, almost $3 million in savings. Okwara was set to carry a $14.5 million cap hit with an $11 million base salary. He agreed to reduce his base salary to $2 million after missing most of the last two seasons with a torn Achilles. By restructuring Okwara, the Lions will only have a $5.65 million cap hit for him this year. The two restructures will save the team $11.7 million in cap space.

Detroit Lions defensive end Romeo Okwara (Achilles), who continues to work his way back from a season-ending Achilles injury that he suffered four games into last season, will primarily play defensive end in 2022 as the team switches to a more attacking defense. At this time last year, Okwara was preparing to play more outside linebacker. "He's a defensive end. He'll play a rush position in base, and the end or the rush in sub (packages). So, he's a defensive end," defensive line coach Todd Wash said. The last time Okwara played a full season, he had a team-high 10 sacks, 61 QB pressures and three forced fumbles in 2020, so he could get back to being an asset for fantasy managers in IDP formats.

Detroit Lions standout pass-rusher Romeo Okwara (Achilles) suffered a torn Achilles in the Week 4 loss to the Chicago Bears and is out for the rest of the 2021 season, according to a source. Okwara will finish the year with six tackles (three solo) and a sack in four games this year, and the Lions will need Charles Harris and Austin Bryant to step up in his absence the rest of the way. The Lions defense/special teams hasn't been all that bad so far this season, but losing Okwara the rest of the way is a tough pill to swallow. They'll continue to be off the starting fantasy radar in a Week 5 date with the division-rival Minnesota Vikings, who will be looking to bounce back after putting up only seven points in Week 4 against the Cleveland Browns.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said that Romeo Okwara's Achilles injury "doesn't look good" after exiting his game against the Chicago Bears. Coming into the season, the Lions defense was already uninspiring, but they have been further depleted by injuries. In only a portion of the game Bears running back David Montgomery dominated the Lions with 106 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. The Lions face another divisional opponent next week in the Minnesota Vikings, and running back Dalvin Cook seems slated for a monstrous game, especially accounting for Okwara's likely absence. Cook will be expensive in DFS, yet splurging for him may pay off.

The Detroit Lions and pass-rusher Romeo Okwara agreed to a three-year deal worth $39 million on Monday, according to a source. The Lions wanted to keep Okwara around after he had a career-high 10 sacks in 2020. He added a career-high 44 combined tackles (11 for loss), 18 QB hits, one pass defensed, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 16 games (nine starts) for the Lions last season. Okwara was an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame and spent the first two years of his career with the New York Giants. In his three seasons with Detroit, the 25-year-old has 74 solo tackles (20 for loss), 42 QB hits, five forced fumbles and 19 sacks in 45 games (24 starts). The Lions will hope to build around Okwara on the defensive side of the ball in the coming years.

The Detroit Lions have claimed defensive end Romeo Okwara and waived second-year defensive lineman Anthony Zettel. Okwara spent the last two seasons along with this preseason as a member of the New York Giants. He has appeared in 22 games since 2016, including four starts, while recording 24 tackles and one sack. The move is a surprising one, as Zettel finished second on the Lions in sacks last season with 6.5. The team had well-documented struggles with the pass rush this preseason, so it seems the coaching staff wants to move in a different direction. The Lions host the Jets on Monday, so they provide an option for a Week 1 streamer, but this defense has seen much transformation throughout the preseason. It might be best to take a wait-and-see approach before rostering the Lions defense.