Cleveland Browns LB honored among game's best despite injury

In a recent ESPN survey of league executives, coaches, and scouts, there was a deeper dive on who the best off-field linebackers are in the league.  To no surprise, the freak athletes like Fred Warner and Roquan Smith led that charge as number one and two, but Cleveland Browns linebacker, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (JOK) made the honorable mention list. 

JOK was one of the brightest spots on the roster in 2023 and 2024 before a serious neck injury in week 8 of the 2024 season that will now sideline him for all of 2025 as well.  Not only does he have the athleticism of a safety (where he played in college at Notre Dame), but he has the toughness of a guy like Ray Lewis who wasn’t afraid to take on any offensive linemen in the league. 

The concern with JOK has always been his health.  Like Kareem Hunt, he plays the game with no regard for his body.  He flies around the field taking away the edge for opposing offenses and can take away the best tight ends in the game in man-to-man pass coverage as well. 

The statistics would never back up that JOK is a better player than Myles Garrett, but his passion and heart for the game made his presence just as important at crucial moments in games.

JOK earned enough votes to come in as the No. 6 linebacker on the ESPN list but was moved to honorable mention because of the injury.  The top priority for JOK now is to make sure he can live a normal life after the injury, but selfishly, fans are hoping that he can also return to the field and have the same impact he had prior.