The Lions placed Okwara (knee) on injured reserve Thursday, Colton Pouncy of The Athletic reports.
Okwara sustained a knee injury in the Lions' preseason finale against the Panthers on Saturday. The 2020 third-round pick out of Notre Dame will be forced to sit out the first four games of the season.
Okwara was active during OTAs earlier this month for the Lions.
Okwara finished his 2022 campaign on IR after suffering an elbow injury in a Thanksgiving Day loss to the Bills. His participation at OTAs would suggest a clean bill of health, which has not been entirely common for the 25-year-old. A third-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, Okwara hasn't played more than 13 games in a single season, but he has been a regular part of Detroit's defensive line rotation when able to suit up.
The Lions placed Okwara (elbow) on injured reserve Saturday.
Okwara was forced out with an elbow injury during Detroit's loss to the Bills on Thanksgiving Day, and he was already ruled out for Sunday's game versus Jacksonville. The 24-year-old defensive end will now be forced to sit out until at least Week 17 against Chicago, though it's possible he could remain sidelined for the rest of the regular season. In his absence, Josh Paschal and John Cominsky will likely take on bigger roles behind Aidan Hutchinson and Romeo Okwara, who was activated from the reserve/PUP list Saturday.
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Lions' Julian Okwara: Ruled out with elbow injury
Rotowire
Okwara (elbow) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Jaguars, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.
Okwara exited the Lions' Week 12 matchup against the Bills with the injury. He failed to practice in any capacity and is in line to miss his second contest of the season. In 10 games on the campaign, Okwara has recorded 17 total tackles with two sacks.
Okwara has exited Thursday's game against the Bills with an elbow injury.
Okwara suffered the injury as he fell to the turf chasing after Josh Allen. While the third-year pro is out, James Houston and Austin Bryant will likely continue to see an uptick in opportunities.
Lions' Julian Okwara: Participates fully in practice
Rotowire
Okwara (hamstring) was a full participant at practice Wednesday.
Okwara had been dealing with a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined versus Philadelphia, but he now appears to have fully recovered. The third-year linebacker out of Notre Dame should be available to provide some depth on the edge behind Aidan Hutchinson and Charles Harris in Week 2 versus Washington.
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Lions' Julian Okwara: Won't play against Eagles
Rotowire
Okwara (hamstring) is inactive Week 1 against the Eagles.
Okwara was limited in practice all week and appeared to be a true game-time call heading into the opener, but it ultimately wasn't mean to be. The third-year pass-rush specialist had a career-best five sacks in 2021, but will now have to wait until at least Week 2 to begin his follow-up campaign.
The Lions have given Okwara (hamstring) a questionable designation ahead of Sunday's season opener versus the Eagles, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.
Okwara was limited at practice all week and is shaping up to be a true game-time decision. Final confirmation on his status will come closer to kickoff.
Lions' Julian Okwara: Dealing with lower leg injury
Rotowire
Okwara (lower leg) was added to the Lions' injury report this week, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.
Okwara is dealing with a lower leg injury, but head coach Dan Campbell believes he has a shot to play Week 1 versus the Eagles. The 24-year-old is expected to be the starting strong-side linebacker for the Lions this year when healthy.
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Lions' Julian Okwara: Projects as starting linebacker
Rotowire
Okwara projects as the starting strong-side linebacker in Detroit's base defense, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Okwara saw a jump in playing time last year after seeing less than 100 snaps as a rookie in 2020. It seems that he's now set to make another large jump after recording five sacks over 342 defensive snaps in 2021. However, it remains to be seen what proportion of his snaps will afford him pass-rush opportunities in the Lions' new 4-3 defense.
