If that’s Julian Okwara’s new normal, Dan Campbell will be one happy coach.
Okwara had three sacks and a handful of other impactful plays Friday to help the Detroit Lions beat the New York Giants in the preseason opener for both teams, 21-16, at Ford Field.
The fourth-year linebacker’s big night came a little more than a week after Campbell challenged him to be more consistent as a player and for the flash plays he’s made the past two seasons “to become the norm.”
“I read all the little stuff that’s being talked about me,” Okwara told the Free Press after the game. “So I just got to keep doing what I got to do and know who I am and keep doing everything I got to do to make it where I got to be.”
Okwara, who entered training camp seemingly on the roster bubble, said he agreed with Campbell’s assessment that he needs to be more consistent as a player.
A 2020 third-round pick, Okwara had a two-sack game to end the 2021 season and another in Week 9 last year, and zero sacks in the Lions’ other 16 games — six of which he missed because of injury.
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“We’ll see the tape, but I know that he’s another guy that really flashed today,” Campbell said. “He did a lot of things. You could feel his speed off the edge. He was able to pressure the quarterback. I felt like he was hustling out there and set an edge a couple of times in the run game, but we’ll see. I mean, certainly he showed up.”
Okwara started and played most of Friday’s game at strong-side linebacker, with veteran Charles Harris getting the day off with the rest of the Lions regulars and James Houston playing fewer snaps in a backup role.
Okwara recorded all three of his sacks in the second half and did not have another tackle, but he had a pressure that led to a fourth-quarter sack for his brother, Romeo, and another on the Giants’ final offensive play, when he forced Tommy DeVito to step up in the pocket and launch a pass downfield that Brandon Joseph picked off for a game-clinching interception.
“It always feels good making plays, but I still got work to do that’s why I got to be more consistent,” he said.
Okwara benefitted from playing against the Giants’ backup offensive line, and one of his sacks came on a third-and-2 play when left tackle Korey Cunningham was late getting out of his stance.
But for a player in need of a good showing, he delivered a performance that should temporarily silence some of his critics.
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Okwara, who had five sacks in 2021, said his ability to get to the quarterback “hasn’t gone anywhere” despite his injuries; he played Friday with a massive brace on his elbow. And he said, “I laugh at” some of the criticism he’s received.
“It is what it is,” he said. “I don’t want to make that a little topic, but I see it.”
Asked if he feels like he needs a strong finish to the preseason to make the 53-man roster, Okwara said that’s for others to decide. In the meantime, he said he’ll one-up himself with another consistent showing against the Jacksonville Jaguars next week.
“Whatever happens, hopefully it’s here,” Okwara said. “I love playing here, so I love playing for Coach Campbell and coaches here, so whatever happens, happens.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.