NFL.com Names Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah as Browns most under appreciated player
Nfl.com put out a list of the NFL’s most under appreciated players, led by Cynthia Frelund, who picked a player from each team. When it came to the Cleveland Browns, the player made a ton of sense.
Frelund listed linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah as the Browns' most underappreciated player. The second-year linebacker may no longer hold that title after his second year in the league.
JOK missed three games last season due to injury, but the 2021 second-rounder managed to net 74 combined tackles and 48 solo tackles, tying for fourth and seventh, respectively, among rookie defenders. Computer vision shows that his win-share stopping the run and on passing downs is balanced; he ranked in the top 10 in both categories among rookie defenders in 2021. There are also some markers suggesting big improvement ahead in 2022, with my favorite being that computer vision shows his fatigue level improved (that is, decreased) the most of any defensive rookie last season.
Owusu-Koramoah played in 65 percent of the team’s snaps in 2022, that number will go up as long as the linebacker can stay healthy. That alone will lead to more production and a better season overall.
Cleveland’s best linebacker will only be a $1.4 million cap hit this season, thanks to a rookie contract that he will be on for this season plus two more. Owusu-Koramoah fell to the second round, so he does not have a fifth-year option.
Last year was all about getting the linebacker up to par for professional football, this year he should be doing a lot more in the Joe Woods’ defense. For now, some people don’t appreciate the play of Owusu-Koramoah enough, but that may soon change. There aren’t many linebackers that can fly around the field like the one that will anchor the room for Cleveland.
Brandon Little is a writer for Sports Illustrated’s Browns Digest website and you can follow him on Twitter @BrandonLittleFB here. You can follow Browns Digest on Twitter here.
