“O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” Well… Detroit.
Not exactly what William Shakespeare was probably referring to when he wrote Romeo and Juliet, but the Detroit Lions brought back the defensive lineman on a three-year, 37 million dollar deal that will allow Okwara to stay with the Lions as he is coming off of a career year. Also, just to show how great of a joke this was, Okwara’s younger brother Julian also plays for the Lions so they are literally Romeo and Julian.
Background
Coming into the league as an undrafted free agent in 2016 signing with the New York Giants, playing in all 16 games his rookie season, Okwara (according to PFF) totaled 370 snaps, 12 tackles, and a sack. In year two, he dealt with injuries that lead the Giants to cut him. The Lions picked him up off waivers and were impressed enough with his season to sign him to a two-year extension. In the final season of his contract, this past season, Okwara made sure to earn another. Playing in all 16 games, Okwara set career bests for pretty much every relevant stat including snap count, tackles, sacks, quarterback hits, and forced fumbles. Accumulating stats like a silent assassin, Okwara quietly finished 2020 tied for eighth in sacks, fourth in quarterback hurries, and tied for eighth in forced fumbles for edge rushers that totaled at least 525 snaps.
For the Lions defense, Okwara played the fifth-most snaps and led the team in sacks (by six), quarterback hits (by five), quarterback hurries (by 25), and he was tied for the lead in forced fumbles. He was rewarded with that shiny new contract that will keep the near 26-year-old a Lion until at least 2023.
One of Okwara’s biggest strengths is his versatility in regards to being able to be dangerous from either side of the line. According to PFF, Okwara registered 400 pass-rush attempts last season with 235 of them coming from the left side of the defensive line and 164 of them coming from the right (one pass rush came as a defensive tackle). On the left side of the line, Okwara had five sacks and four quarterback hits. On the right, Okwara was near identical with five sacks and five quarterback hits proving that he can get penetration through either side of the offensive line. With that type of performance, Okwara is likely going to stay on the defensive line while trying to get into the opponent’s backfield without being asked to drop into coverage too much; he only dropped into coverage 25 times and ended up being targeted three times. It just feels like he flies under the radar as a pass-rushing talent especially because the Lions’ overall season left something to be desired and their future looks bleak with a high chance of a rebuild.
IDP Relevance
When it comes to Okwara’s performance in IDP fantasy football leagues, he isn’t on everyone’s radar being on the Lions. That being said, using IDP123 scoring, in 2020 Okwara finished as the DL14 in total fantasy points (200) and as the DL18 in points per game (12.5). His best game came against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7 when Okwara played 42 snaps, had three tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble. He ended the 2020 season on a definite high note as he had at least 12 fantasy points and a sack in each of the final three games of the season. Finishing as DL18, that sandwiched Okwara right between Harold Landry and Khalil Mack for defensive linemen.
Outlook
When it comes to defensive lineman, you want to put your faith into guys that are going to be able to get into the backfield consistently and are going to be disrupting the quarterback. Guys like TJ Watt, Brian Burns, and Chase Young are great, but they cost a pretty penny. Do you know who is probably going to be a cheap option? Someone on the Lions defense in 2021, so if you are looking for a solid dynasty target in your IDP leagues, I highly suggest buying into Okwara. Be like Juliet. Go after your Romeo.
