Cleveland Browns 2021 Quarter Season Awards Weeks 1-5
By Nick Swanson
Cleveland Browns Defensive Rookie of the Quarter – Jeremiah Owusu-Koromoah
Cleveland’s Defensive Rookie of the Quarter goes to the man, the myth, the legend, Jeremiah Owusu-Koromoah. A case could be made for cornerback Greg Newsome II, but JOK has absolutely dominated in recent weeks.
JOK has started four of the first five games but didn’t start in the Week 2 matchup against the Houston Texans. He’s tallied 21 total tackles, 15 of which are solo, three pass breakups, a forced fumble, and half a sack so far through the first five games.
His snap counts have continued to increase on a weekly basis, going from 38 percent Week 1, down to 30 percent, back up to 51 percent, to 52 percent, and then up to 91 percent against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Owusu-Koromoah is the highest graded rookie defender according to PFF and was named the Week 3 PFF Rookie of the Week.
JOK was a projected first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft but fell to the Browns in the second round for the steal of the draft. He was a standout during his two years at Notre Dame, recording 142 total tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, seven pass breakups, five forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, an interception, and a touchdown.
He’s been a bright spot in the weakest unit, by far, of the improved Browns defense. The linebacking corps in 2020 was awful, to say the least, and JOK made it drastically better right off the bat. He has been one of the Browns best defensive players and as a rookie, that’s quite impressive.
He’s been a key addition to a now Super Bowl hopeful Browns team and his incredible impact has earned him the Defensive Rookie of the Quarter award for the first five weeks of the 2021 season.