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Here are a couple of FA defensive players you might want to keep an eye on.. Romeo Okwara, DE and Chidobe Awuzie, CB
By Ted Nguyen Mar 10, 2021
Building a team with expensive free agents is not a winning formula. However, that doesn’t mean teams shouldn’t be active in free agency. They just have to be smart about it. The truth is every free-agent acquisition carries risk. How well do you really know the player you’re paying? How will he adapt to a new city, scheme and team? Can the player live up to expectations in an expanded role? These are questions that can’t truly be answered until after the fact.
Without knowing the answers to these questions, teams bid against each other, inflating the value of free agents, which is why it’s so difficult for big-ticket players to live up to their contracts when signing with a new team. Finding free-agent “steals” is the key to maximizing value, but it’s not easy to acquire a player at a lower-than-market-value price that can produce at a high level. Obviously, to get a steal requires some risk. There are reasons certain players can be signed for a lower-than-market-value price.
Using The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia’s free-agent rankings and tier system, we’ll look at five players who were placed in tier 3 (starting-caliber options) or lower who can end up being steals for the teams that sign them.
1. Romeo Okwara, DE (6-4, 263 pounds), 26 years old
Scheme fit: Rushed the passer from both a three-point stance and two-point stance. Kicked inside sometimes in Detroit but is much more effective outside. Lacks the power to play full time on the edge in a 4-3 but might be able to play more in base as a 3-4 end.
Risk factor: High
Okwara was undrafted out of Notre Dame. He played for the Giants his first two seasons but played sparingly. In his first season with Detriot in 2018, he registered 7.5 sacks, but they were mostly effort sacks. In 2019, he totaled only 1.5 sacks. Last offseason, he took his training up to another level, and it paid off. Not only was he stronger, but he also looked like a more mature pass rusher with an actual pass-rush plan. He finished the season with 10 sacks and 61 quarterback pressures. What is even more impressive is the quality of sacks he registered. Okwara ranked fifth in the league in Brandon Thorn’s sack score, which rewards higher quality sacks such as ones accumulated in one-on-one situations against quality tackles.
Former Lions coach Matt Patricia and his staff likely thought Okwara was a liability against the run — they didn’t play him on early downs. Okwara is a long-limbed pass rusher with active hands who can convert speed to power. He’s athletic and has the flexibility and bend to run the arc and finish for sacks.
Week 4, NO vs. DET, 12:44 remaining in the second quarter, third-and-12
Here, Okwara was in a wide-9 alignment against Saints right tackle Ryan Ramczyk (No. 71). This play is a good example of his hand-fighting ability.
Ramczyk controlled Okwara’s initial punch with his inside hand by lifting it, but simultaneously, Okwara used his outside hand to slap down Ramczyk’s outside hand.
Okwara won the edge by swiping away both of Ramczyk’s hands while smoothly flipping his hips toward the quarterback.
He ripped through and showed the ability to bend and flatten his angle to the quarterback. He missed the sack here because he didn’t wrap up, but he forced Drew Brees to check the pass down.
Okwara might just be a high-end situational pass rusher, but it’s one of the most highly valued skills in today’s NFL. Unlike some one-hit wonders, Okwara didn’t accumulate a bunch of lucky cleanup sacks. He looks like a legitimately improved player. The question is whether he can continue to train hard and sustain his success.
Signing him will be risky because of the random nature of his breakout, but it shouldn’t take a bank-breaking deal to sign him. As an undrafted player who broke out late in his career (fifth year) and had his role reduced on “base” downs, Okwara may not get a huge contract offer. There’s a chance that he has to sign a short-term, prove-it deal to show that he can have a repeat performance.
2. Chidobe Awuzie, CB (6-0, 202 pounds), 25 years old
Scheme fit: Awuzie had his best seasons under former Cowboys defensive coordinator Kris Richard playing in his Cover 3 system, but he has the skills and intelligence to play in a man-heavy system as well as zone. However, he does have some trouble locating the ball and might be better playing in a system in which he can play more off coverage and have vision on the ball.
Risk factor: Moderate
On tape, Awuzie looks like an intelligent player with high-end athleticism. He has a good understanding of leverage and knows where his help is. When playing off coverage, his eyes are consistently in the right place and he can quickly break on passes. When playing press coverage, he displays fluid hips and effortlessly changes directions and sticks in the hip pocket of receivers. He can have difficulty locating the ball, which is why he may not excel in a man-heavy system. I think he can function in a man scheme, but I believe he can really excel in a Cover 3 or soft quarters system.
Week 1, DAL vs. LAR, 0:29 remaining in the first quarter, third-and-5
Here, Awuzie was in press coverage against Rams receiver Robert Woods. Awuzie used a soft-shoe technique and backed off and read Woods’ release after the snap.
Because Woods had a short split and he knew he had helped inside, Awuzie worked to Woods’ outside shoulder and played with outside leverage.
After Woods cleared the inside help, Awuzie plastered on him while keeping outside leverage. Because of how long it’s been without the ball being thrown, Awuzie knew that he’s playing his scramble rules and that he has to stay in Woods’ hip pocket.
Awuzie knew that Woods wanted to work back to the sideline and simply walled him off, giving the quarterback nowhere to go with the ball.
Awuzie is only 25, so there’s a chance he’s still developing and might be able to improve his ball skills. It likely won’t ever be a strong suit, but he’s so sticky in coverage that he still has had better-than-average ball production (37 passes defensed in 49 games).
The Athletic’s Bob Sturm wrote in December that a player at his age and with his production may command a deal of $10 million per year, but there looks to be a lot of starting-caliber corners that will hit the market, and Awuzie’s injury history (he’s only played one full season) could discourage teams from overpaying him. In 2017, he broke his hand. In 2020, he missed eight games because of a hamstring injury. If teams are willing to take a chance on a young, athletic, smart corner who has struggled to stay on the field, they may get a very good starter in Awuzie.
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Originally posted by BoltUp InLA View PostHere are a couple of FA defensive players you might want to keep an eye on.. Romeo Okwara, DE and Chidobe Awuzie, CB
By Ted Nguyen Mar 10, 2021
Building a team with expensive free agents is not a winning formula. However, that doesn’t mean teams shouldn’t be active in free agency. They just have to be smart about it. The truth is every free-agent acquisition carries risk. How well do you really know the player you’re paying? How will he adapt to a new city, scheme and team? Can the player live up to expectations in an expanded role? These are questions that can’t truly be answered until after the fact.
Without knowing the answers to these questions, teams bid against each other, inflating the value of free agents, which is why it’s so difficult for big-ticket players to live up to their contracts when signing with a new team. Finding free-agent “steals” is the key to maximizing value, but it’s not easy to acquire a player at a lower-than-market-value price that can produce at a high level. Obviously, to get a steal requires some risk. There are reasons certain players can be signed for a lower-than-market-value price.
Using The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia’s free-agent rankings and tier system, we’ll look at five players who were placed in tier 3 (starting-caliber options) or lower who can end up being steals for the teams that sign them.
1. Romeo Okwara, DE (6-4, 263 pounds), 26 years old
Scheme fit: Rushed the passer from both a three-point stance and two-point stance. Kicked inside sometimes in Detroit but is much more effective outside. Lacks the power to play full time on the edge in a 4-3 but might be able to play more in base as a 3-4 end.
Risk factor: High
Okwara was undrafted out of Notre Dame. He played for the Giants his first two seasons but played sparingly. In his first season with Detriot in 2018, he registered 7.5 sacks, but they were mostly effort sacks. In 2019, he totaled only 1.5 sacks. Last offseason, he took his training up to another level, and it paid off. Not only was he stronger, but he also looked like a more mature pass rusher with an actual pass-rush plan. He finished the season with 10 sacks and 61 quarterback pressures. What is even more impressive is the quality of sacks he registered. Okwara ranked fifth in the league in Brandon Thorn’s sack score, which rewards higher quality sacks such as ones accumulated in one-on-one situations against quality tackles.
Former Lions coach Matt Patricia and his staff likely thought Okwara was a liability against the run — they didn’t play him on early downs. Okwara is a long-limbed pass rusher with active hands who can convert speed to power. He’s athletic and has the flexibility and bend to run the arc and finish for sacks.
Week 4, NO vs. DET, 12:44 remaining in the second quarter, third-and-12
Here, Okwara was in a wide-9 alignment against Saints right tackle Ryan Ramczyk (No. 71). This play is a good example of his hand-fighting ability.
Ramczyk controlled Okwara’s initial punch with his inside hand by lifting it, but simultaneously, Okwara used his outside hand to slap down Ramczyk’s outside hand.
Okwara won the edge by swiping away both of Ramczyk’s hands while smoothly flipping his hips toward the quarterback.
He ripped through and showed the ability to bend and flatten his angle to the quarterback. He missed the sack here because he didn’t wrap up, but he forced Drew Brees to check the pass down.
Okwara might just be a high-end situational pass rusher, but it’s one of the most highly valued skills in today’s NFL. Unlike some one-hit wonders, Okwara didn’t accumulate a bunch of lucky cleanup sacks. He looks like a legitimately improved player. The question is whether he can continue to train hard and sustain his success.
Signing him will be risky because of the random nature of his breakout, but it shouldn’t take a bank-breaking deal to sign him. As an undrafted player who broke out late in his career (fifth year) and had his role reduced on “base” downs, Okwara may not get a huge contract offer. There’s a chance that he has to sign a short-term, prove-it deal to show that he can have a repeat performance.
2. Chidobe Awuzie, CB (6-0, 202 pounds), 25 years old
Scheme fit: Awuzie had his best seasons under former Cowboys defensive coordinator Kris Richard playing in his Cover 3 system, but he has the skills and intelligence to play in a man-heavy system as well as zone. However, he does have some trouble locating the ball and might be better playing in a system in which he can play more off coverage and have vision on the ball.
Risk factor: Moderate
On tape, Awuzie looks like an intelligent player with high-end athleticism. He has a good understanding of leverage and knows where his help is. When playing off coverage, his eyes are consistently in the right place and he can quickly break on passes. When playing press coverage, he displays fluid hips and effortlessly changes directions and sticks in the hip pocket of receivers. He can have difficulty locating the ball, which is why he may not excel in a man-heavy system. I think he can function in a man scheme, but I believe he can really excel in a Cover 3 or soft quarters system.
Week 1, DAL vs. LAR, 0:29 remaining in the first quarter, third-and-5
Here, Awuzie was in press coverage against Rams receiver Robert Woods. Awuzie used a soft-shoe technique and backed off and read Woods’ release after the snap.
Because Woods had a short split and he knew he had helped inside, Awuzie worked to Woods’ outside shoulder and played with outside leverage.
After Woods cleared the inside help, Awuzie plastered on him while keeping outside leverage. Because of how long it’s been without the ball being thrown, Awuzie knew that he’s playing his scramble rules and that he has to stay in Woods’ hip pocket.
Awuzie knew that Woods wanted to work back to the sideline and simply walled him off, giving the quarterback nowhere to go with the ball.
Awuzie is only 25, so there’s a chance he’s still developing and might be able to improve his ball skills. It likely won’t ever be a strong suit, but he’s so sticky in coverage that he still has had better-than-average ball production (37 passes defensed in 49 games).
The Athletic’s Bob Sturm wrote in December that a player at his age and with his production may command a deal of $10 million per year, but there looks to be a lot of starting-caliber corners that will hit the market, and Awuzie’s injury history (he’s only played one full season) could discourage teams from overpaying him. In 2017, he broke his hand. In 2020, he missed eight games because of a hamstring injury. If teams are willing to take a chance on a young, athletic, smart corner who has struggled to stay on the field, they may get a very good starter in Awuzie.
good finds.
I do think there will be a signing like the above - maybe not all - but kind of under the radar signings like Haywrd was back in the day. Just need a team that better utilzies the skillset. As for Okwara - his coach was Patricia and he was a bad coach so maybe Staley would be better.Comment
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Still think Gabe is a fit huh lol. Good isn't either at 340 lbs but he will be back with the Raiders anyways.Originally posted by Bolt4Knob View Post
Need OL that can move for a ZBS.
Looking at those pressures, Lamp was awful. Shame he turned out to be a bad pick. Nobody expected that.Comment
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DT Malcolm Brown released from the Saints a few hours ago. Could be a good option for a rotational down lineman in Staley’s scheme.
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...com-brown/amp/Our quarterback is a golden god.Comment
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Based on those stats - he was damn good. But valid about the fit. Whatever player - it has to be the right fit.Originally posted by Boltjolt View PostComment
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He was good,.... for the Raiders power scheme.Originally posted by Bolt4Knob View Post
The only OL they have under 330 is their curent listed RT and that's because they traded Trent Brown who is huge.
I do agree he would still be an upgrade to Lamp. Don't want him or Feeney backComment
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you bring up a good point about sizeOriginally posted by Boltjolt View Post
I remember that OLine of King Dunlap, Franklin, Fluker, forget the Center but maybe Barksdale - all 320+ - and it was terrible - they couldn't moveComment
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Okwara and Awuzie would be nice pick ups.Comment
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I was listening to the Athletic NFL podcast from today and they are both high on Okwara and I think he would be a good fit for our scheme. Ideal for the wide 9. Should not be the number one passing option (we have Bosa) and is good against the run. He's also a high effort guy and will be pretty cheap. He's a guy who I would love to see in a rotation with Nwosu.Originally posted by Bolt4Knob View PostComment
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Hayward was one of those signings where for whatever reason he blossomed with the BOlts but not so much with the Packers. Maybe Okwara is that kind of signing,. The Chargers have good cap space - but still nice to find a couple players that are cheaper that in the right system - become good valuable players.Originally posted by eaterfan View Post
And again, I have focused a lot on Rams players and a guy like Feiler from the Steelers - but those teams with limited cap space have some decent free agents. The Rams have Floyd, JJIII, Troy Hill, Blythe, Everett - - and I get other teams will also be looking at these players. But looking forward to seeing Staleys vision for his teamComment
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