Cleveland Browns Underrated Star Named

Cleveland Browns attacked the offseason hard with a point of emphasis on the defensive line. One of the first players the Browns signed was defensive end Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, he has been named by Touchdown Wire as an underrated star heading into the 2023 season.

Okoronkwo inked a four-year deal with the Browns worth $18.9 million, which looks like quite the deal for the Browns on paper. In 2023, Okoronkwo will be in his fifth NFL season. He spent the first three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, before spending a season with the Houston Texans in 2022.

As the article from Touchdown Wire points out, Okoronkwo is not the big-name signing that everyone knows all about. Cleveland signed defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson and acquired defensive end Za’Darius Smith. Both players are well known but it may be Okoronkwo that we are talking about at the end of the year.

2022 was the first year that Okoronkwo got full-time playing time. He started eight games for the Texans and had five sacks in the final five weeks, nearly matching his career total to that point of 5.5. While Okoronkwo may not start for the Browns, he will play alongside the best talent he has. Pair that with a pass rusher-friendly system led by defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, Okoronkwo could have a career year in 2023.

The expectation is that Okoronkwo will rotate in along with Alex Wright, Isaiah McGuire, and perhaps Isaiah Thomas. As a rotational pass rusher, Okoronkwo should lead snap counts out of those listed players' names. With Myles Garrett’s ability to slide inside, the Browns will get a line of Garrett, Smith, Okoronkwo, and Tomlinson on the field whenever they can.

At just 28 years old and on the right side of 30, Cleveland has an underrated player that has breakout potential going into the season.