[
theramswire.usatoday.com] Rams 2022 free agency preview: Ogbonnia Okoronkwo may seek bigger role elsewhere
Cameron DaSilva
March 13, 2022 7:26 am PT
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo was a fifth-round pick in 2018 so it’s not as if expectations were terribly high for the Oklahoma product. But he was still a player fans were excited about, given Wade Phillips’ track record of succeeding with smaller edge rushers.
In the last four years, Okoronkwo has struggled to stay healthy, playing only 33 games. And while he’s shown flashes of being a productive pass rusher, he hasn’t done enough to become a starter.
Now a free agent, will Okoronkwo seek greener pastures elsewhere? Or will the Rams bring him back for another year?
2021 stats
17 games (including postseason)
2 sacks
15 tackles
6 QB hits
15 pressures
2 forced fumbles
PFF grade: 79.2 overall
Analysis
For the third straight year, Okoronkwo was a backup and situational pass rusher. And for the fourth straight year, injuries limited him to less than a full season.
He played just 13 games in the regular season and four in the playoffs, but when he was on the field, he was effective as a pass rusher. He pressured the quarterback 15 times on only 118 pass-rush snaps and had a career-high two sacks with six QB hits.
Okoronkwo boasts a killer spin move that he’s just about mastered, but he’s not the most powerful pass rusher and typically wins with speed around the edge or his spin. He also missed three tackles in limited playing time.
Rams depth chart
Starter Backup
OLB1 Leonard Floyd Terrell Lewis
OLB2 Justin Hollins Chris Garrett
Positional need: High
Von Miller is a free agent just like Okoronkwo, so the Rams are in danger of losing two of their top three edge rushers. That could leave Floyd as the only lock to start next season at a critical position.
That doesn’t bode well for the defense as a whole, knowing how important it is to have quality edge rushers around Aaron Donald to limit the number of double teams he faces.
Lewis has a chance to be a future starter but he was also a healthy scratch for part of last season and has struggled to stay on the field due to injuries, even going back to his college days.
