On Sunday, Lions head coach Dan Campbell told reporters that Romeo Okwara‘s lower leg injury “doesn’t look good.” More specifically, sources believe that the edge rusher has torn his Achilles (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).
Monday’s tests will confirm Okwara’s condition, but it doesn’t sound promising. A torn Achilles would instantly end the 26-year-old’s season and leave Detroit without one of its best defenders.
Okwara re-upped with the Lions on three-year, $39M deal in March with $25M guaranteed. He registered a career-high 10 sacks last year, setting himself up for another impactful season.
Similar to Shaquil Barrett — who scored a $72M deal from the Bucs — Okwara was hardly known just a few years ago. He missed the Giants’ 53-man cut in ’18, but he developed into something of a sack machine. The Lions didn’t get to see much of that in 2021, unfortunately. In his four games, Okwara has notched just one sack with six stops.
The Lions are now 0-4 after losing 24-14 to the Bears in Chicago. Already on the cusp of playoff irrelevance, they’ll try for their first win next week against the Vikings.
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