Allen Park — When the Lions released their first unofficial depth chart last week, some were surprised to see Romeo Okwara listed as a third-string defensive end. But it made more sense when you realized that’s where most of his practice reps had come the first couple weeks of training camp.
He also wasn’t given veteran preference to sit out the preseason opener. Not only did he start the contest against the New York Giants, but he played a team-high 44 defensive snaps.
Normally, a heavy preseason workload isn’t a great sign for veteran players, perhaps signaling they’re on their way out, but that probably isn’t the case with Okwara, who is just 28 years old and three years removed from pacing the team with a career-high 10 sacks. Plus, if his performance in that preseason opener was indicative of anything, he’s getting closer to playing at that level after a grueling rehab from the torn Achilles he suffered early in the 2021 season.
Somewhat overshadowed by his brother Julian’s three-sack outing last Friday, Romeo tallied a sack and another QB hit as part of six total pressures. And he continued to be a pass-rushing force in the first joint practice with the Jacksonville Jaguars, prior to sitting out Thursday’s session for unknown reasons.
Asked for an evaluation of Okwara’s offseason and why he played so much in the first preseason contest, Lions coach Dan Campbell offered a reasonable explanation and overall positive sentiments.
“Yeah, I think a lot of it is he’s coming off the injury from last year and it never truly felt like he got back from it at the end of last year,” Campbell said. “History would say most of those guys it’s going to take close to a year to get back to where you feel like or move like you were before. I think that was some of it, and it was also just a placement of where we were at. We can’t sit everybody. Look, he’s having a good camp, but so is (Josh) Paschal, and so is Commish (John Cominsky), and you got Hutch (Aidan Hutchinson) and Charles (Harris). You can’t sit everybody, so I think that’s where it is.
“Romeo is doing some really good things and it feels like he’s very much back to what he was. … Listen, he’s doing a good job, but I think it also speaks to the depth we have in that room and the players we have on the perimeter, on the edge so it’s a good thing.”
That’s the biggest upside with Okwara’s re-emergence. After the Lions seemed to finally find a reliable pass rush last season following the addition of Hutchinson and the late-season surge of James Houston, the team suddenly has a wealth of potentially productive talent at one of the sport’s most important positions.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers