Getty On February 14, Julian Okwara, a former outside linebacker for the Detroit Lions, signed a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Last year, the Detroit Lions took their top two picks in the 2020 NFL draft and left. Edge rusher Julian Okwara, one of their third-round picks in 2020, was formally let go on February 14.

The Philadelphia Eagles revealed that they have signed Okwara to their official X (formerly Twitter) account.

During the postseason, the Lions cut Okwara, but the next day, they signed him back to the practice squad. To make room on the roster for fellow edge rusher James Houston, who is making a comeback from injured reserve, Detroit dismissed Okwara.

However, Okwara was not signed by the Lions to a futures contract following the NFC championship game. After a few weeks of unrestricted free agency, he signed a contract with the Eagles.

At No. 67 overall in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft, Okwara was chosen by the Lions. The Lions traded their first two draft picks from that class, running back D’Andre Swift and cornerback Jeff Okudah, last year.

In the second round, Detroit chose Okudah at number three overall and Swift at number thirty-five.

Since the organization cut Okwara from the active roster around a month ago, it has been clear that his time in Detroit is running short. The final straw for Okwara was the Lions’ refusal to offer him a futures contract; as a result, he officially left the team and signed a deal with the Eagles.

Okwara played for the Lions for one respectable season. However, the remaining three were not that impressive.

Due to a right leg injury, the rookie edge rusher was out for nine games.During his rookie season, he only recorded three combined tackles in six games and zero sacks.

In 2021, he recovered to have his best campaign yet in Detroit. Okwara recorded 5 sacks and 27 total stops in 13 games, including 6 tackles for loss and 9 quarterback hits.

However, Okwara never improved after that season. Rather than improving, he declined, recording just 4 sacks in his last 19 games with the Lions.

Over the course of 38 games, Okwara racked up nine sacks, 54 total tackles—12 of which were for loss—and sixteen quarterback hits. In addition, he had one interception, three pass defenses, and one forced fumble.

Similar to Okwara, seasoned defensive end Charles Harris excelled in 2021 but faltered in 2022. Similar to Okwara, the team was optimistic that Harris would return in 2023 after he finished the 2022 season on injured reserve.

That was not the case. Levi Onwuzurike, a defensive lineman who was also selected on the second day of the 2021 draft, did not perform as expected either.

In 2023, Okwara, Harris, and Onwuzurike totaled 4.5 sacks between them.

Okwara has already joined a different squad.Harris is expected to be a free agent, and Christian Booher of SI.com’s All Lions described Onwuzurike as a fringe candidate.

It would be shocking if Detroit did not improve their pass-rushing unit, even if the Lions decided to hold onto Onwuzurike.

The combination of a top-edge rusher and rising star Adam Hutchinson may make the Lions’ defensive front rank among the finest in the National Football League.

Because of this, trade speculations this offseason have linked the Lions to veterans Josh Bosa and Hayden Reddick. Chris Jones, a pass rusher who is a potential free agent, has also been connected to the Lions.

The Lions are reportedly eyeing an edge rusher in the first round with the No. 29 overall pick in some early mock drafts.

Dave Holcomb is a sportswriter for Heavy.com who covers the Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers. Holcomb, a Pittsburgh native, has covered professional and collegiate sports for Fansided, Rotowire, and Yardbarker, among other publications.Additional information on Dave Holcomb