The Cleveland Browns are in the midst of a bit of a rebuild following an unforeseen 3-14 season last year, and now with five new quarterbacks in town, there is hope that some players can emerge on both sides of the ball to establish themselves as foundational pieces for the future.
Cleveland kicked off its preseason with an emphatic 30-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Friday, and one under-the-radar defender had a particularly noteworthy performance in the win.
Matt Wilson shouted out pass-rusher Julian Okwara for his dominating performance and shared a clip of him slipping past a left tackle for one of his two sacks in the game.
#Browns DE Julian Okwara absolutely dominated the Panthers offensive line yesterday. #DawgPound pic.twitter.com/M5Q1mSXTCh
— Matt Wilson (@CoachWilson66) August 9, 2025
Okwara was a third-round pick by the Detroit Lions out of Notre Dame in 2020, and he has ten career sacks in five seasons, the most recent of which was spent with the Arizona Cardinals in 2024.
He is just 27 years old, and the Browns could use some more depth at defensive end, so there is a path for him to make this team.
Cleveland’s defense did not produce the sort of pressure it needed last season, as Myles Garrett was the only Brown to register more than three sacks all season outside of Za’Darius Smith, who was traded away at the deadline.
Alex Wright is back in the mix after missing nearly all of last season with an injury, and second-rounder Carson Schwesinger should be a factor right away as well, but there is still a spot for Okwara to carve out a role for himself if he can put together some more performances like this.
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