Getty Dan Campbell coaching the Lions against the Bears in 2021.
The Detroit Lions are trying to get healthier in multiple ways ahead of Week 1 of the season, and a significant player could be on a firm road to recovery.
While Detroit’s defensive line is dealing with the continued absence of Romeo Okwara and Josh Paschal and also the lingering injury of Levi Onwuzurike, the team did see Julian Okwara return to practice.
As Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press pointed out, it was the first time Okwara had been spotted back at practice since early in August.
Julian Okwara back at Lions practice today for the first time since early August. Still no Levi or Iffy (working on the side w/trainers). Also no Hockenson, Vaitai, Austin Bryant, Amani O
“Julian Okwara back at Lions practice today for the first time since early August. Still no Levi or Iffy (working on the side w/trainers). Also no Hockenson, Vaitai, Austin Bryant, Amani O,” Birkett tweeted.
While it seems as if that might be a lot of others out, Birkett calmed some of those fears by implying the reason for a lot of the other absences was merely precautionary heading into a long weekend ahead of the first week of the year.
Seeing Okwara return is good news for Detroit’s pass rush, though. He was one of the more active players on the field during the 2021 season, and his healthy play in 2022 is significant for the team.
Okwara Potential Breakout Defender for 2022
It seems the Lions have players capable of breaking out all over their roster, and the defensive line is armed with most of these options. Okwara is one, especially after putting up five sacks in 2021.
With his abilities in terms of playing linebacker as well as edge, Okwara would seem to be in a good position to have a breakout year again. Along with Austin Bryant, he would be one of the most important young players the Lions could see break out this fall.
Another big season could certainly leave Okwara in the position where he is seen as a rising star on the defense, but injury is going to be the biggest variable to remember with him. Since his rookie season, Okwara has been in and out of the lineup with ailments, so the hope is this early injury is behind him in 2022.
Okwara’s Stats & Highlights
If there’s any young player that could seemingly help the Lions get to where they want to go in 2022, it’s Okwara given what he did last year.
Coming into 2021, it was clear Okwara was going to be primed for a big effort on the field. He had missed most of his rookie 2020 season with injury, so Okwara was in position to do some damage for the Lions if he could stay healthy. Injuries up front to others ended up helping Okwara see more of the field, as did the effort he put in as it relates to honing his craft. In his NFL career, he has 30 tackles, five sacks and nine quarterback hits, with the bulk of that work playing out in 2021.
Collegiately, Okwara showed these attributes. At Notre Dame, he put up 79 tackles and 15.5 sacks in his career to go with two interceptions and four forced fumbles. Here was some of his work in college:
It was good to see Okwara come into his own in 2021, and the hope is he is healthy this season again.
Seeing him get back on the field for practice is very good news for the Lions.
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