Romeo Chidozie Okwara (born June 17, 1995) is a Nigerian-born former

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at Notre Dame. Okwara signed with the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 2016, and played six seasons with the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

Professional career

New York Giants

Okwara signed with the

as an undrafted free agent on May 6, 2016. Okwara made his first start replacing Jason Pierre-Paul in a 10–7 victory over the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

on December 11, 2016. On October 17, 2017, Okwara was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

with a knee sprain. He was activated off injured reserve to the active roster on December 19, 2017. On September 4, 2018, Okwara was waived by the Giants.

Detroit Lions

On September 5, 2018, Okwara was claimed off waivers by the

. On October 7, 2018, against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

, Okwara strip sacked quarterback

Aaron Rodgers Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears foo ...

for a

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...

recovery. He played in 15 games with 15 starts, finishing with 39 combined

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

, a team-leading 7.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. On March 1, 2019, Okwara signed a two-year contract extension with the Lions. Okwara was placed on the active/ non-football injury list at the start of

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

on August 2, 2020. He was activated on August 14, 2020. In Week 7 of the 2020 season against the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

, Okwara recorded two sacks on Matt Ryan, including a strip sack which was recovered by the Lions, during the 23–22 win. In Week 15 against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

, Okwara recorded a sack on Ryan Tannehill in the endzone for a

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

during the 46–25 loss. Okwara had ten sacks for the 2020 season, while the rest of the Lions team only totaled 14. In Week 17 against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

, Okwara recorded his tenth sack of the season on

Kirk Cousins Kirk Daniel Cousins (born August 19, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans football, Mi ...

during the 37–35 loss. During the 2020 season, Okwara recorded the same amount of sacks as he did during the rest of his career. On March 17, 2021, Okwara signed a three-year, $39 million contract extension with the Lions. On October 5, 2021, Okwara was placed on injured reserve after tearing his Achilles in Week 4. On August 23, 2022, Okwara was placed on the reserve/ physically unable to perform list to start the season. He was activated on December 3. After his contract was done with the Lions, Okwara announced he was retiring from the NFL at the age of 28 on March 19, 2024. He played the last four seasons of his career with his younger brother Julian Okwara.

Personal life

Okwara's younger brother Julian Okwara, who also played

at Notre Dame, also played for the Detroit Lions. He was born in Nigeria and moved to the United States at the age of 10.

References

External links

Notre Dame Fighting Irish bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Okwara, Romeo 1995 births Living people Players of American football from Charlotte, North Carolina American football defensive ends Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players New York Giants players Detroit Lions players Nigerian players of American football Players of American football from Lagos Nigerian emigrants to the United States