In the 2020 season, Romeo Okwara was a dominant presence on the Detroit Lions' defensive line.
That year, the veteran had 10 sacks and earned a new extension with the team as a result. Entering the 2021 season, he was expected to enter a dominant stretch.
However, his production has been limited over the past two years by injuries.
He's played a total of nine games the last two seasons. In that span, he's managed just three sacks and 14 tackles.
Now fully healthy, he feels ready to regain the form he held prior to the set back.
"I feel like I'm at an even better spot, honestly," Okwara explained. "I've hit the recovery process hard and I feel that I've made great strides."
The 27-year-old admitted that he was "pretty far" from full strength when he suited up in 2022 but has regained his explosiveness and physicality.
"It's definitely tough, but you just have to go out there and give your best," Okwara commented. "Put your best foot forward and just trust what training you did have, and I feel like I'm in a better place."
The veteran has competition at his position, as the Lions are much deeper on the edge than in years past.
Among the top options at the position are Aidan Hutchinson and James Houston. Okwara and Charles Harris will be battling for reps in their returns.
The Lions will need everyone in their pursuit to improve defensively. Okwara and Harris both missed significant time last season with injuries but will be back in action in 2023.
Third-year coach Dan Campbell praised the efforts of Okwara in his rehab process.
"He is moving better, he is moving better. There again, the Achilles, everybody is a little different in how they come back from them. Certainly, he's moving better than even he did at the end of last year. So that's good to see, really he and Charles (Harris) both, to see them come back from these injuries. They're workers, man, they're pros, they put everything into it. So it's good to see him get back on his feet, move better and we still have more time before camp gets here too."
He's been with the Lions since 2018, so he's seen highs and lows with the organization. However, the expectations for this year's team are higher than that of any previous year in his tenure.
As he enters the season, he's embracing the grind that will come with meeting the standard set for the team in Campbell's third year.
"Yeah, I think the biggest thing is just consistency," the vet stated. "I mean, we haven't even started training camp yet. So you know, just trying to get to training camp with a healthy mindset, with a mindset that we have to work and earn every single thing, whatever is expected for us, we got to work for it. And we just got to keep our head down and just work."
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