The storylines around the Cleveland Browns all offseason revolved around the quarterback position mostly. If it wasn’t Deshaun Watson, Baker Mayfield and Jacoby Brissett, it was about the concerns at the wide receiver position.
Unfortunately, the positives were often overcome by the concerns in the passing game. Despite the fact that defense is still important, the offense gets most of the attention around the league.
One defender who has gotten some hype going into the 2022 season is LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. In 14 games last year, just 10 starts, Owusu-Koramoah showed off incredible athleticism and feel for the game. His boxscore doesn’t tell the whole story but does show off his versatility:
- 76 tackles
- 4 pass deflections
- 4 QB hits
- 3 tackles for loss
- 2 forced fumbles
- 1.5 sacks
This offseason, JOK has been noted as a rising star multiple times.
- “The sky’s the limit.“
- PFF’s All-Rookie team.
- 2nd-year breakout star candidate
- Honorable mention as one of the best linebackers in the league
Along with CB Greg Newsome II, the Notre Dame product has fans excited about the young defenders from the 2021 NFL draft.
On the eve of the first Sunday of the 2022 season, a quote from an NFC scout showed just how high expectations are for JOK this year:
Asked an NFC scout to identity a breakout defense player. He raved about second-year #Browns’ LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah: “I pushed for him coming out of Notre Dame. He has the traits to become a complete linebacker in terms of his speed and tackling. He can cover too.”
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) September 10, 2022
With Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney at defensive end, Denzel Ward and Newsome at cornerback and John Johnson III at safety, Cleveland’s defense can go to the next level if Owusu-Koramoah lives up to the hype.
JOK and the rest of the Browns defense gets their first chance to prove how good they are Sunday against QB Baker Mayfield and the Carolina Panthers.
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