Eagles sign former Lions third-round pick Julian Okwara

Detroit Lions former third-round pick Julian Okwara has found a new home with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Philadelphia Eagles announced on Wednesday they have signed former Detroit Lions third-round pick Julian Okwara.

Okwara was cut late in the Lions’ 2023 season and signed back to the practice squad. He was not elevated in any of the Lions’ playoff games, and when the season ended and Okwara’s practice squad contract expired, the Lions opted not to sign Okwara to a futures deal, making him a free agent available to sign anywhere immediately.

Okwara, 26, was selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, with the hopes—from the previous regime—of developing into a full-time pass rusher after a promising college career that was derailed by injury at Notre Dame. Unfortunately, Okwara never worked his way up the depth chart. He would start just four games over four seasons and finished his Lions career with 54 tackles, 9.0 sacks, and 16 quarterback hits.

This past season, Okwara battled through injury again and eventually made appearances in nine games. However, when the Lions needed a roster spot for James Houston, it was Okwara’s that became expendable.

Julian’s brother, Romeo, is still with the Lions, but his contract is set to expire and void in March. It’s unclear if the Lions are interested in bringing Romeo back, but if they don’t, he will become an unrestricted free agent at the start of the new league year on March 13. Julian and Romeo had been on the Lions roster together for the past four years.

To see the latest Lions active contracts and cap hits, check out our 2024 Lions live-updating contracts list.