Tag: Ogbonnia Okoronkwo

Sean McVay unsure when Ogbonnia Okoronkwo will return from injury

Okoronkwo has been out since injuring his shoulder in Week 5.

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo was expected to be a big part of the Rams’ pass-rushing plan this year after the departure of Dante Fowler Jr. There was a lot of uncertainty opposite Leonard Floyd, with Samson Ebukam, Terrell Lewis and Justin Hollins also competing for snaps at outside linebacker.

Unfortunately, Okoronkwo hasn’t been much of a factor this season, playing just five games and recording one sack. He injured his elbow in Week 5 against the Washington Football Team and has been on injured reserve since Oct. 20.

He’s eligible to be activated at any time, but the Rams have yet to bring him back – and Sean McVay doesn’t know when that may happen.

“I’m not sure. I’m hopeful. I mean, he’s looking like he’s making progress but to put a timetable on that right now, wouldn’t be fair to do that,” he said.

Originally, Okoronkwo was expected to miss four to six weeks. He’s now going on six weeks, but there doesn’t seem to be any progress made or expectations that Okoronkwo will be back soon. The Rams have survived without him thanks to their depth at the position, but he’s a quality pass rusher and could help the defense whenever he does get back.

“I think Leonard Floyd has been outstanding – really productive, snap-in and snap-out, both rushing the passer, defending the run,” McVay said. “I mean, he’s been a great complete player for us. Then I think Chris (Shula) has done a nice job of really supplementing Leonard with, Samson has played a bunch of snaps. Obo when he was healthier earlier, you’ve seen some of these other guys get in there and do a nice job. I think Hollins has been a real positive addition with his experience with Brandon (Staley) in Denver and that’s been a good thing for us.”

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo not expected to return this week vs. Seahawks

Sean McVay doesn’t think Okoronkwo will play on Sunday against the Seahawks.

The Los Angeles Rams already designated Jordan Fuller to return from injured reserve this week, but it seems he’ll be the only one returning from IR for Sunday’s game against the Seahawks. Ogbonnia Okoronkwo is also on IR but it sounds like he won’t be activated this week.

Sean McVay said Monday that while Fuller is expected to play against Seattle, he doesn’t think Okoronkwo will.

“Yeah, I think he’s making good progress,” McVay told reporters. “Not something that I do anticipate him being able to play this week, talking about Obo.”

Okoronkwo has been out since injuring his elbow in Week 5 against Washington. The injury required surgery, which gave him a timetable to return of 4-6 weeks, according to McVay.

It doesn’t seem like Okoronkwo is behind schedule, he’s just not ready to return this week to play against the Seahawks. Samson Ebukam, Justin Hollins and Terrell Lewis will continue to hold down the outside linebacker spot opposite Leonard Floyd.

Rams officially place Ogbonnia Okoronkwo on IR

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo will miss at least four weeks with an elbow injury.

The Los Angeles Rams finally made the expected move of placing Ogbonnia Okoronkwo on injured reserve Tuesday, which will sideline him for at least three weeks. Okoronkwo suffered an elbow injury against Washington in Week 5, which requires surgery to repair the issue.

Sean McVay said Okoronkwo will be out about 4-6 weeks, so at least it’s not a season-ending injury.

To take Okoronkwo’s spot on the 53-man roster, the Rams signed kicker Kai Forbath off the Bears’ practice squad.

Okoronkwo had received more playing time in the two games before getting hurt and seemed to overtake Samson Ebukam as the top edge rusher opposite Leonard Floyd. He had one sack and eight tackles before landing on IR.

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Obo Okoronkwo to undergo elbow surgery, out 4-6 weeks

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo will be sidelined for at least a moth with an elbow injury.

The Los Angeles Rams will be without outside linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo for a while. After injuring his elbow in Sunday’s win over Washington, Okoronkwo will undergo surgery and be sidelined for at least a month.

Sean McVay said the injury and procedure are not season-ending, but projected that Okoronkwo will be out 4-6 weeks. The Rams will play the 49ers, Bears and Dolphins in the next three weeks, then have a bye. Ideally, Okoronkwo will be able to return in Week 10 after the bye, just like Jordan Fuller.

Okoronkwo had been playing his best football before getting hurt, earning more snaps than Samson Ebukam in Weeks 4 and 5. He only has one sack and eight tackles on the year, but his explosiveness off the line caught the eye of the Rams early in the year.

A former fourth-round pick, Okoronkwo is a former Oklahoma Sooner. He missed his entire rookie season with a foot injury and only played 10 games last year, recording 1.5 sacks.

With Okoronkwo out, Terrell Lewis and Ebukam will most likely earn more playing time. Lewis made his NFL debut on Sunday and played 14 snaps, while Ebukam played a season-low five against Washington.

Given the timetable, Okoronkwo will probably be placed on injured reserve to free up a roster spot until he can return. The Rams also put Fuller on IR Tuesday with the rookie safety re-injuring his shoulder against Washington.

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo suffers elbow injury vs. Washington

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo left Sunday’s game with a left arm injury during the third quarter.

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo had been hitting his stride in the last couple of weeks for the Rams, but he unfortunately went down with an injury in the third quarter of Sunday’s game against Washington.

He was slow to get up after Aaron Donald’s third sack of the game, and after rising to his feet, Okoronkwo walked straight to the locker room with trainers. He was holding his left arm very gingerly as he walked off the field.

The Rams officially say he’s questionable to return with an elbow injury.

Rams to keep ‘healthy competition going’ between Okoronkwo, Ebukam

Brandon Staley wants to keep the rotation at outside linebacker going with Okoronkwo and Ebukam playing well.

For the first time all season in Week 4, an outside linebacker besides Leonard Floyd played more snaps than Samson Ebukam. Ogbonnia Okoronkwo played 30 snaps compared to Ebukam’s 21, which isn’t a huge difference but was certainly notable.

Okoronkwo has been improving throughout the season, culminating in a strong performance against the Giants with a sack and a batted pass. He hasn’t taken over as the starter opposite Floyd just yet, but the competition is narrowing and Okoronkwo could continue to get more playing time.

For now, the Rams will keep the competition at outside linebacker going because Brandon Staley likes the way both players have played thus far.

As it relates to Obo and (OLB) Samson, that’s just the way it worked out,” Staley said Wednesday. “Obo’s been practicing well, and we feel like he gives us something different off the edge. Those guys are competing, and we feel good about both of them and the more Obo plays, the better he gets. Samson has been playing his tail off, too, improving, So we’re just going to keep that healthy competition going and we’re going to need all those guys to be successful.”

The edge rushers as a whole had been struggling until Sunday’s game against the Giants, but they came alive with a productive game. Ebukam, Okoronkwo and Justin Hollins all got in on sacks, and Floyd had one called back due to a penalty on Troy Hill.

This battle at outside linebacker is far from settled and the snap counts are likely to vary from week to week as the season goes on.

 

 

Rams need Terrell Lewis to make immediate pass-rush impact when activated

Terrell Lewis can be activated as early as this week, but it sounds like he probably won’t play Sunday vs. the Giants.

There’s a lot to be excited about with the Rams this season, especially after a tumultuous offseason that involved major changes to both the roster and coaching staff. The pass rush, however, is not something fans (or the team) should feel good about after three weeks.

It’s been arguably the weakest part of the team, with everyone not named Aaron Donald struggling to generate much pressure on the quarterback. The edge rushers, in particular, have struggled through three games, with Leonard Floyd being the only one to record a sack; he has two so far.

According to Pro Football Reference, the Rams’ outside linebackers have combined for a total of four pressures on opposing quarterbacks. And as if that’s not bad enough, all four have been by Floyd.

Samson Ebukam, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Jachai Polite and Justin Hollins have zero quarterback pressures combined this season. They haven’t knocked down the quarterback once, generated one hurry and have just 12 total tackles.

All this is to say the Rams need Terrell Lewis now more than ever, which is a scary proposition considering he’s a third-round rookie with no NFL experience – not even a preseason snap. But that’s the position Los Angeles is in because Ebukam, Okoronkwo and the rest of the edge rushers are simply not getting it done. Even Floyd’s impact has been underwhelming despite the fact that he has two sacks in three games.

Lewis is currently on the reserve/non-football injury list after undergoing a knee scope to determine whether he had an infection from a previous surgery. Fortunately, he didn’t have one, but his timetable to return remains unclear.

Technically, he could be activated this week and play on Sunday against the Giants. But according to Sean McVay, the team hasn’t discussed that possibility yet and it would be optimistic to think he’ll make his debut this week.

He may only be a third-round rookie, but his ceiling is high and we saw some glimpses of his ability in training camp. At 6-foot-5 and 260-plus pounds, Lewis is a physical specimen who moves extremely well. He’s explosive off the line, possesses great length as a pass rusher and knows how to set the edge in the running game.

He shouldn’t be expected to come in and rack up 10 sacks as a rookie, but any contributions as a pass rusher will be valuable to a Rams defense that’s starving for pressure from someone besides Donald. Because if things don’t change in a hurry, teams will simply double- and triple-team Donald more than they already do and bet that the Rams’ other pass rushers won’t hurt them.

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Rams OLBs coach notes athleticism of Ebukam, Okoronkwo and Polite

The Rams don’t lack potential or athleticism on the edge.

Athleticism isn’t everything in the NFL, but when it comes to rushing the passer, it’s one of the most important traits. Explosiveness, burst and quickness help edge rushers get off the line quickly, and if they can turn the corner around tackles efficiently, it greatly drives up their chances of getting to the quarterback.

The Rams may not boast much experience at outside linebacker, nor many proven playmakers, but they certainly don’t lack athleticism. Outside linebackers coach Chris Shula highlighted three players who are athletic and prepared for the 2020 season, and one of them could be a surprise contributor.

Samson Ebukam and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo are two obvious picks to have an impact in 2020, but hearing Jachai Polite as someone Shula is excited to coach is certainly notable.

“Guys that are really coachable, want to do it exactly right, want to prove themselves (and) are really excited,” Shula said, via TheRams.com. “We’re athletic and prepared, with guys like Samson and Jachai and Obo. We’re really athletic, fast and smart, so I’m really excited to work with this group.”

None of those players are locks to start in 2020, but Leonard Floyd essentially is. After the Rams gave him $10 million guaranteed for one season, he’s all but guaranteed to play significant snaps in his first season in L.A.

Terrell Lewis is the wild card in the group because as a rookie, he’ll have a tougher transition this offseason. However, his athleticism popped off the screen at Alabama and his potential will be hard to keep down.

Shula got to know Lewis during the pre-draft process and is understandably happy to have him in the mix.

“He’s a really, really smart person and football player – it all makes sense to him,” Shula said. “He has a great memory, great recall of what he had in college. And then he was in a system in college where he was asked to do a lot of the same things that we’re asking him do to here, so I’m expecting the transition to be pretty simple.”

Training camp will be more important for the outside linebackers than just about any other position group on the Rams’ roster, and there’s plenty for the coaches to sort out before the season begins.

Check out Ogbonnia Okoronkwo’s latest offseason workouts

Okoronkwo is poised to battle for a starting job this summer in camp.

Dante Fowler Jr. will be one of the tougher defenders for the Rams to replace in 2020, but they do have a crop of young players who could take his place on the weakside at outside linebacker. Ogbonnia Okoronkwo is definitely among them, along with Terrell Lewis and Samson Ebukam.

Okoronkwo has been putting in a lot of work this offseason despite not being able to train with his teammates or coaches at the Rams’ facility, working on his agility and hand speed. He could be poised for a breakout season if he capitalizes on the opportunity in front of him, possibly becoming a three-down starting edge rusher.

Recently, Okoronkwo was working on hand fighting, which is important when engaging with an offensive lineman. He displays quick and powerful hands in this workout, fighting off the would-be blocker’s initial punch.

His agility looks good, too, after seeing him go through this footwork drill. Footwork is extremely important for an edge rusher, needing to get off the line of scrimmage quickly and being able to turn the corner to get to the quarterback.

It’s part of the reason Aaron Donald is the best pass rusher in football, always exploding off the line and working around blockers quickly.

Here’s another hand-fighting drill by Okoronkwo, working down the field while hitting the hand pads of his trainer. It’s a way to improve hand-eye coordination and to build up hand speed when fighting off blockers.

Okoronkwo is entering his third NFL season but he has yet to really emerge as a reliable contributor. This will be his best opportunity yet, and he’s putting in the work so he can capture the chance to start for the RAms in 2020.

Obo Okoronkwo ready for 2020 season: ‘In the best shape of my life’

The third-year pass rusher is ready to break out.

For two years, Rams fans have anxiously awaited the arrival of Ogbonnia Okoronkwo as an impact pass rusher. His rookie year in 2018 was essentially lost to a foot injury, and last season, he was blocked on the depth chart by Dante Fowler Jr. and Clay Matthews.

Now, both of those veterans are gone and Okoronkwo has a clear path to a starting job. He’s ready to capitalize on that opportunity in 2020, potentially breaking out after two years of frustration.

He tweeted that he’s in the best shape of his life, which sounds like a cliché phrase said by most athletes during the offseason.

However, Okoronkwo actually looks like he’s in excellent shape, even during this difficult time when gyms and the team’s facility aren’t open. He’s been working out all spring, doing sand work and boxing training, too.

Here’s a look at a sand drill he went through a few weeks ago, helping build up his foot speed and quickness.

Okoronkwo also shared a handful of photos of himself working out, showing off his chiseled physique.

What’s helped Okoronkwo stay in such great shape is his transition to being a part-time vegetarian. Back in February, he told TheRams.com that he’s 245 pounds and not eating meat. Once the season picks back up, he’ll eat meat again, but he has 9% body fat and is still cut despite being a vegetarian.

“When the season picks up then I’ll definitely be back,” he said. “But I just feel good, a lot of energy. My body feels really clean. I feel like energized when I wake up, yeah. I’m loving it.”

According to Okoronkwo, one of the biggest misconceptions in the NFL is that every player is a body-builder. That’s not the case, because every position and role is so unique and specific to each player.

“Everybody thinks that we’re these chiseled body-builder types. But a lot of the time a lot of the guys don’t have that traditional body-builder look,” he said. “A lot of guys are very skilled, so they don’t have to be super strong or super fast, or they don’t have to look like a superhero to be really good at what they do. They’re intricate and very detailed in their skills. So that’s what makes them so much better than everybody else.”

Okoronkwo still needs to improve his technique and skill set if he wants to become a reliable starter, but he’s putting in the work to take that third-year leap in Los Angeles.

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