Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah Could Be The Super Bowl Answer For The Cleveland Browns
Many would agree that the Cleveland Browns got the steal of the 2021 NFL Draft when Notre Dame linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah fell to them in the second round with the 52nd overall pick.
“Wu” joins a linebacking corps that is looking to match the intensity and dominance the Browns’ defensive line brings to the table every week. He’s currently slotted at WILL linebacker, second on the depth chart behind Jacob Phillips, the Browns third round pick in the 2020 Draft. That said, he’s going to be on the field as often as most starters even if he doesn't start.
We’ll likely see defensive coordinator Joe Woods line up Owusu-Koramoah all over the field, both in plays designed for him to blitz and lined up to cover receivers, tight ends and backs. The fact of the matter is, the Browns do not have a single player on the defensive side of the ball as versatile or athletic as Owusu-Koramoah. As a result, the smart play for Cleveland is to use that athleticism as often as possible – even on special teams.
In college we saw Owusu-Koramoah spy and subsequently shut down some of the best players in the country at times. Never was this on display more than in the win over Clemson last season, when he appeared to be given the assignment of suffocating running back Travis Etienne, a first round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Owusu-Koramoah essentially removed Etienne as an offensive option for the Tigers, and the result was a rather one-dimensional Clemson attack that led to an Irish win.
This brings us to the 2021 NFL season, and the most important role Owusu-Koramoah could play for the Browns if given the chance.
Cleveland has asserted itself as a realistic Super Bowl contender heading into 2021. At some point, however, all roads to the Super Bowl are going to go through Kansas City, and any team looking to represent the AFC in the likely needs to be able to beat the Chiefs – who have played in three consecutive conference championship games.
Beating Kansas City requires a team to take away one or more of the many dangerous weapons the Chiefs line up on offense. Owusu-Koramoah will likely be given the task of covering Travis Kelce – the best tight end in the NFL. Statistically, Kelce had a solid outing in the Super Bowl loss to Tampa Bay, but when you actually put on the game film you see Kelce working hard all night to get open against the likes of linebacker Lavonte David and Devin White.
It took a toll on Kelce as the game wore on, and it impacted the rest of Kansas City’s offense. Instead of Kelce being the safety net and easy check down for quarterback Patrick Mahomes he was just another guy fighting to get open on every play like any other receiver. It was an added stressor to a Kansas City operation that faces very little stress on offense in most games.
If Owusu Koramoah and the Browns get to the playoffs and face the Chiefs it’s going to be because they were one of the two or three best teams in the conference. They’ll have the tools and weapons they need to hang with Kansas City, but it very well could be Wu and his ability to throw Kelce off his game that gets the Browns over the hump in 2021.
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