Ogbonnia Okoronkwo delivered in 2023.
The Alief Taylor High School product generated 44 combined tackles, 5.0 sacks, nine tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hits, two pass breakups, and a forced fumble through 17 games, eight of which he started.
According to Ari Meirov with The 33rd Team, the Houston Texans’ biggest decision to make in free agency — at least internally — will be whether or not to re-sign the former Los Angeles Rams 2018 fifth-round pick.
Okoronkwo signed a one-year deal with his hometown team last offseason after spending the first four years of his career with the Los Angeles Rams. The 27-year old finished with career-highs in tackles (44), sacks (five), pressures (36) and hurries (25). Houston has holes to fill throughout its roster, but Okoronkwo would seem to be a building block to keep around.
Of course the Texans’ choice is as obvious as a tweet image downloaded from a news release from a team’s official social media account. Nevertheless it still rings true and Houston will have to figure out what to do with Okoronkwo.
Former coach Lovie Smith used Okoronkwo as a down edge rusher in his Tampa 2 scheme. The Rams originally drafted Okoronkwo entering their second season with then-defensive coordinator Wade Phillips running his patented 3-4 scheme.
What will really make the decision as to whether Houston keeps Okoronkwo or not is who they hire as their sixth full-time coach. If the Texans bring in a defensive mind — whether at the coach or coordinator level — who thinks they can get by without Okoronkwo, then that will direct what the Texans’ do in free agency.
However, Okoronkwo has experience playing as a stand-up pass rusher and a down lineman. Even in the concept of what Bill Parcells use to call “hold-the-fort” guys, Okoronkwo would adequately fill that role as the new coaching staff cultivated a young pass rusher behind him.
