Romeo Chidozie Okwara (born June 17, 1995) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...

for the Detroit Lions of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played college football at Notre Dame and signed with the New York Giants as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2016.

Professional career

New York Giants

Okwara signed with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent on May 6, 2016. Okwara made his first start replacing

Jason Pierre-Paul Jason Andrew Pierre-Paul (born January 1, 1989) is an American football outside linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Florida and was drafted by the New York Giants in ...

in a 10-7 victory over the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

on December 11, 2016. On October 17, 2017, Okwara was placed on injured reserve with a knee sprain. He was activated off injured reserve to the active roster on December 19, 2017. On September 4, 2018, Okwara was waived by the Giants.

Detroit Lions

On September 5, 2018, Okwara was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Lions. On October 7, 2018, against the Green Bay Packers, Okwara strip sacked quarterback Aaron Rodgers for a fumble recovery. He played in 15 games with 15 starts, finishing with 39 combined tackles, a team-leading 7.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. On March 1, 2019, Okwara signed a two-year contract extension with the Lions. Okwara was placed on the active/

non-football injury list Non-football injury and non-football illness (NFI) are roster designations used in the National Football League (NFL) for players who are unable to practice as a result of conditions unrelated to football, or injuries that did not occur during NFL g ...

at the start of training camp on August 2, 2020. He was activated on August 14, 2020. In Week 7 of the 2020 season against the Atlanta Falcons, Okwara recorded two sacks on Matt Ryan, including a strip sack which was recovered by the Lions, during the 23–22 win. In Week 15 against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...

, Okwara recorded a sack on

Ryan Tannehill Ryan Timothy Tannehill III (born July 27, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M, where he was a wide receiver until his junior year, an ...

in the endzone for a safety during the 46–25 loss. Okwara had ten sacks for the 2020 season, while the rest of the Lions team only totaled 14. In Week 17 against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

, Okwara recorded his tenth sack of the season on

Kirk Cousins Kirk Daniel Cousins (born August 19, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan State and was drafted by the team then known as the Washington ...

during the 37–35 loss. During the 2020 season, Okwara recorded the same amount of sacks as he did during the rest of his career. On March 17, 2021, Okwara signed a three-year, $39 million contract extension with the Lions. On October 5, 2021, Okwara was placed on injured reserve after tearing his Achilles in Week 4. On August 23, 2022, Okwara was placed on the reserve/PUP list to start the season. He was activated on December 3.

Personal life

Okwara's younger brother

Julian Okwara Julian Okwara (born December 27, 1997) is an English born Nigerian American football, gridiron football outside linebacker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Notre Dame Fighting Irish footb ...

, who also played college football at Notre Dame, also plays for the Detroit Lions.

References

External links

New York Giants bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Okwara, Romeo 1995 births Living people Players of American football from Charlotte, North Carolina American football defensive ends Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players New York Giants players Detroit Lions players Nigerian players of American football Sportspeople from Lagos Ed Block Courage Award recipients