Last week, 13 months after tearing his Achilles, Romeo Okwara got the green light from his surgeon to return to practice.
"It was a huge relief," the Lions former sack leader said Thursday, "because it's been a long, long, long, long journey."
It's not quite over, but Okwara's almost there. He can see the finish line, which is where his career will resume. He was back on the practice field Wednesday and Thursday -- "My happy place," he said -- for the first time since suffering one of the most brutal injuries in sports last October. You can imagine how it felt.
"Like I was finally allowed to go back out to recess," Okwara said with a smile. "I had been locked inside, so it felt really good to just go out there and run outside, especially in the snow today."
The Lions now have three weeks to decide whether or not to activate Okwara this season. With eight games remaining, they'd certainly like to. Last time he played a full season, he produced a team-high 10 sacks and signed a three-year, $37 million deal with the Lions that offseason. Four games into the next season, he was done.
Okwara's timeline will depend largely on how he responds to practice. He said he "felt great" Thursday morning with one practice under his belt. At the same time, "We've got to ease into it," he said. He's starting with individual drills and going from there.
But whenever he does return, Okwara won't hold back. Asked what he can bring the Lions' defense, he said, "Everything I've got. Everything I've got is all I can promise."
The Lions will take it. They've struggled to pressure the quarterback for most of the season, as big a reason as any why they've allowed the most yards per pass and the third highest passer rating (99.8) in the NFL. They've improved in that department recently, but adding Okwara would obviously help.
"He’s a guy that's going to give us pass rush," defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said Thursday. "We know that from his past. The thing is, we haven’t really had a chance to utilize that, so I’m looking forward to him getting back."
Glenn didn't have a timeline for when that might be. Right now, neither does Okwara. It's one hurdle at a time, with the biggest ones behind him. But make no mistake: Romeo Okwara is coming.
"Oh, I want to play," he said. "I want to play. It's just a matter of time."
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