95 Romeo Okwara DE

Okwara logged three tackles and a sack in Sunday's loss against New Orleans.

Okwara now has a sack in each of his last two contests. He recorded just 1.5 sacks a season ago in 14 contests, so he's off to a promising start so far in 2020.

The Lions activated Okwara (undisclosed) from the reserve/non-football injury list Friday, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

It's unclear what was holding Okwara back, but he's back to full health heading into his fifth NFL season. The 25-year-old Okwara is in a contract year and should have ample opportunity to prove his worth after serving as a starter last year, but he'll face competition from his brother Julian, who the Lions drafted in the third round in April.

The Lions placed Okwara (undisclosed) on the reserve/non-football injury list Sunday, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Okwara will need to gain full clearance from his undisclosed injury before joining teammates at practice. The 25-year-old stands to reprise his role as a starting defensive end for Detroit when healthy.

Okwara recorded 28 tackles, 1.5 sacks and one forced fumble over 14 games in 2019.

Okwara led the Lions in sacks in 2018, but he wasn't even close this year despite playing with better talent around him. It's not easy to point to one reason for his struggles in 2019, but playing time definitely wasn't the issue considering Okwara regularly commanded at least half of the available defensive snaps most weeks during the season. It's possible that 2018 was simply an outlier year for the Notre Dame product, and Okwara has a chance to redeem himself in 2020, the final year of his current deal.

Okwara (groin) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Cowboys.

Okwara will sit out a second straight game, but it's a positive sign that the 24-year-old was able to practice in a limited capacity Thursday and Friday. The fourth-year pro has 12 tackles and 0.5 sacks this year, and he'll look to shake the issue before Week 12's matchup against the Redskins.

Okwara (groin) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Bears.

Okwara has been unable to log any practice reps this week, giving his Sunday status a discouraging outlook. Should the pass rusher not be able to suit up, Da'Shawn Hand figures to see a starter's share of snaps at defensive end.

Okwara notched two assisted tackles during Sunday's 13-10 win over the Chargers.

Okwara was held without a tackle Week 1, but he wasn't kept off the stat sheet for long. The 24-year-old's lack of consistent weekly tackles makes him a sack-dependent option in IDP formats, and Okwara faces a touch matchup against Philadelphia's stout offensive line Week 3.

Okwara signed a two-year contract extension with the Lions on Friday, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

The 23-year-old was outstanding for the Lions last season, racking up 39 tackles (28 solo), seven sacks and one forced fumble in 15 games. Per NFL Network, Okwara's deal will average more than $3.095 million and has incentives built in. The Notre Dame product will likely be a focal point in the defense, as Detroit figures out what it wants to do with fellow defensive end Ezekiel Ansah.

Okwara registered one tackle and one quarterback hit during Sunday's victory over the Packers.

Okwara thus ends his breakout season on a low note, statistically speaking, but he nonetheless finishes 2018 with 39 tackles and a team-leading 7.5 sacks to his name. The third-year edge rusher is extremely likely to return to Detroit in 2018 given his impending restricted free agent status, which is great news for a Lions team that may not be able to give into the contract demands of injury-prone defensive end Ezekiel Ansah (shoulder). As a projected full-time starter alongside run-stuffing nose tackle Damon Harrison, Okwara looks to have some upside in many IDP formats in 2019.

Okwara recorded one sack during Sunday's 27-9 loss to Minnesota.

Okwara is now up to 7.5 sacks on the season, passing teammate Devon Kennard for the Lions' team lead in that category along the way. However, the breakout Notre Dame product is only averaging 2.7 tackles per game this year and is reliant on getting to the quarterback to have a worthwhile fantasy outing.

Okwara recorded three tackles and one sack during Sunday's victory over Arizona.

Okwara continues to impress and is now up to 6.5 sacks on the season. His emergence has been great news for a Lions team that is now without injury-prone defensive end Ezekiel Ansah (shoulder). However, Okwara has recorded more than four tackles in just two of 13 games this season and is hard to trust as an IDP asset.

Okwara had four tackles (two solo) and a half-sack in Thursday's loss to the Bears.

Okwara was a late addition for the Lions at the beginning of the season, but he now has 29 tackles, 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble through 10 games. The 23-year-old led Lions defensive ends with a 66.0 percent snap share Thursday and should continue to be a heavy presence in the defensive-line rotation.

Okwara posted four tackles (three solo), including a sack, in Sunday's loss to Seattle.

Okwara has proven to be a solid last-minute pickup for Detroit. After joining the team just prior to Week 1, he's now posted five sacks through six games. He'll look to continue his strong play in Week 9, when the Lions face off against the Vikings.

Okwara signed with Detroit on Wednesday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Okwara replaced fellow defensive end Anthony Zettle on Detroit's roster. An undrafted rookie free agent from 2016, Okwara should serve as a depth piece behind Kerry Hyder for the 2018 season.

Okwara was waived by the Giants on Tuesday, Michael Eisen of Giants.com reports.

Okwara was waived in order to make room for former Bears defensive tackle John Jenkins on the roster. Okwara, an undrafted rookie free agent from 2016, missed the majority of last season due to a knee injury. However, he does boast starting experience and could find a new home elsewhere in the league in the near future.

Okwara made three tackles (one solo) in six games during the 2017 regular season.

Okwara's sophomore campaign was hindered by a knee sprain that left him sidelined for a solid chunk of the season, as he ultimately missed 10 games before returning for the finale against Washington. The reserve defensive end will be on the last year of his rookie contract in 2018 and should once again provide depth behind Olivier Vernon and Jason Pierre-Paul.

The Giants activated Okwara from injured reserve Tuesday, Michael Eisen of the Giants' official site reports.

Okwara is thus in line to play in the Giants' final two games of the season after the team designated the defensive end as one of two players eligible to return from IR. The 22-year-old, who was shut down in mid-October after suffering a knee sprain during practice, had collected three tackles in five games. He'll likely work in a rotational role at defensive end behind starters Olivier Vernon and Jason Pierre-Paul.

The Giants designated Okwara to return from injured reserve Tuesday.

Okwara will resume practicing Wednesday and is thus a candidate to rejoin the 53-man roster beginning in Week 15 against the Eagles. So long as starting defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon both remain healthy the rest of the way, however, Okwara won't be anything more than a rotational defensive lineman for the Giants.

The Giants placed Okwara on injured reserve Tuesday, Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York reports.

Okwara sprained his knee in practice last week. It appears that his timetable for recovery is relatively long, as the team has opted to place him on the IR. He was played sparingly on defense, so his absence shouldn't affect the Giants' current production.

Okwara sprained his knee in practice Thursday and won't suit up Sunday against the Broncos, Tom Rock of Newsday reports.

Okwara was used sparingly on defense, but with Olivier Vernon (ankle) sitting out Sunday as well, this would've been a prime opportunity for Okwara to earn more snaps. In his absence, expect Avery Moss to receive a bulk of the snaps, with Kerry Wynn snagging some as well.