Ogbo

Okoronkwo

The team also signed defensive lineman Ogbo Okoronkwo. Kevin Givens and Cameron Sample were waived in corresponding moves. Hodge caught three passes for 31 yards in Atlanta last year. The 49ers simply needed another body at receiver with all four of their top wideouts banged up to start training camp.

McKee will be the third QB for the tilt against Los Angeles, with Sam Howell operating as the backup to Jalen Hurts. Shipley is out with an oblique injury, paving the way for Tank Bigsby and A.J. Dillon — not necessarily in that order — to get the carries behind bellcow Saquon Barkley.

Released by the Browns in late June, Okorokwo is a fine situation pass-rusher and likely will help fill the void left by Josh Sweat in Philadelphia. Okoronkwo had 7.5 sacks in two years with the Browns after a stint with the Lovie Smith Texans in 2022 got him onto the grander NFL radar. Philadelphia also added DT Jacob Sykes and waived RB Lew Nichols and DE KJ Henry to make room for Sykes and Okoronkwo.

The team signed K Andre Szmyt in a corresponding move. Okoronkwo was reportedly available via trade ahead of the draft but nothing came of it. He played a pass-rush specialist role in Cleveland last year and tallied three sacks. He should be able to find a similar gig before training camp, but a starting role is likely out of the picture.

The Athletic’s Zac Jackson previously speculated that Newsome could be traded, noting his $13.4 million cap hit as a reason for the team to move on. Cleveland can save the entirety of that figure by trading Newsome. The former first-round pick totaled five pass breakups across 13 games last year while playing a mix of slot and outside corner. Okoronkwo notched three sacks as a pass-rush specialist in 2024. Given the diminished roles both players hold in Cleveland, it wouldn’t take much for a team to acquire either defender.

The edge rusher went to the locker room in the second quarter with an undisclosed injury and it was later revealed to be an illness. It’s unclear if he will come back in with the Commanders in, well, command of the game.

Okoronkwo will be put on injured reserve. It’s possible that a deep playoff run would allow him to return late in the postseason, though he will most likely be out until next year. Okoronkwo is second on the Browns in sacks with 4.5 takedowns. He also has a dozen TFLs and a fumble recovery. The Browns have sustained a number of key injuries on the defensive side of the ball over the second half of the season. Though they remain one of the league’s best units, they may be an easier matchup for opposing offenses going forward.

The deal includes $12.5 million guaranteed. Playing on a one-year deal for the Texans last season, the former fifth-round pick of the Rams had a career year with five sacks on just 517 snaps. Rather than hold onto their free agent find, the Texans will look for the next one, instead. Okoronkwo will probably remain a rotational player in Cleveland, but his snaps could rise into the 600-700 range.

The Rams drafted Okoronkwo in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He failed to crack the starting lineup during his four years with the team but did take on a slightly increased role in LA last year. He notched two sacks and three TFLs while setting a career-high in snaps. He will serve as a depth option for the Texans but could play a larger role for his new team.

The Rams also activated linebacker Obo Okoronkwo and defensive back Terrell Burgess. After losing a slew of players to the COVID list over the past two weeks, the Rams appear to be getting things on track now. Havenstein started every game through Week 13 for LA before being added to the COVID list. He’ll return to the starting role as long as the COVID-related absence didn’t mess with his conditioning.