Eagles Sign Julian Okwara
The Eagles announced the addition of Outside Linebacker Julian Okwara to the roster.
Okwara, who was drafted in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions, played in 38 games with the Lions over four seasons, but finished the 2023 season on the practice squad.
Okwara’s best season was in 2021, where he logged five sacks, six tackles for loss, nine quarterback hits, one forced fumble, and one interception. In 2020 and 2022, he was plagued by injury, and in 2023 he was demoted to the practice squad for the playoffs.
The normal practice in the NFL is for practice squad players to sign futures contracts with their existing team so that they can compete for roster spots in the next season, but it’s unclear why this didn’t happen with Okwara.
The Eagles, meanwhile, were spread thin at linebacker throughout the 2023 season. Since Okwara was on the practice squad, he was not limited by rules regarding free agency timing.
