Browns’ Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has put the team in a tough situation that they will not mind
One move the Cleveland Browns made before training camp begins is the extension of kicker Dustin Hopkins. Hopkins stood out as one player who very well could be extended this season, though he is not the most important of the bunch. That player is linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who is set to play his fourth season […]
One move the Cleveland Browns made before training camp begins is the extension of kicker Dustin Hopkins. Hopkins stood out as one player who very well could be extended this season, though he is not the most important of the bunch.
That player is linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who is set to play his fourth season with the Browns and it is his last under contract with the team. Last season, Owusu-Koramoah took the jump that the Browns had been waiting for and it has led to him being one of the best in the NFL at his position.
ESPN surveyed coaches, executives, and scouts around the NFL and they polled JOK as the No. 6 off-ball linebacker in the NFL. He trailed only Fred Warner, Roaquan Smith, Matt Milano, Patrick Queen, and Nick Bolton. Owusu-Koramoah was voted as high as the No. 3 player at the position.
"Many of us [scouts] loved his ability coming out [of the 2021 draft] but were concerned with his size, but he's overcome that and he makes plays all over the field," an exec said. "You can live with the lack of instincts in some areas because he's a playmaker with a quick trigger to the ball."
Owusu-Koramoah made 20 tackles for a loss last season and that led linebackers. His 101 tackles and 3.5 sacks were both career highs and paved the way for him to make the Pro Bowl for the first time. The former Notre Dame standout made his first two interceptions of his career.
"Tremendous athlete runs like a corner," an NFC scout said of JOK. "Finally found his stride and played with confidence."
When the Browns selected Owusu-Koramoah in the second round back in 2021, there was a risk that came with it. Owusu-Koramoah was smaller and was more of a player who wouldn’t be a sure fit at linebacker. He took his bumps and bruises over his first two seasons but was able to continue to work on his body and be healthy in 2023 for 16 games.
There aren’t many players in the NFL who can read and react as quickly as Owusu-Koramoah can. The speed that he shoots a gap is next to none and the Browns have a special player in No. 6. Cleveland is in a spot where they will likely end up having to pay Owusu-Koramoah top-five linebacker money and they will have to hope he is the player that he was in 2023.
Taking it to the next rebel and becoming an All-Pro player is there for Owusu-Koramoah to unlock and within reach. The 2024 season could be where that comes together, either way, the Browns have to be happy with who Owusu-Koramoah has become.
Browns’ savvy investment in Dustin Hopkins paying off with long-term contract extension
The kicker woes are officially over in Cleveland with Dustin Hopkins receiving a three-year contract extension.
