3 players the Browns should extend ahead of 2024 and 2 they should not

Browns should extend: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB

If Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has another season similar to what he had in 2023, he might need to change his initials from JOK to TFL.

Ignore the bad attempt at humor for a minute and just take in the numbers. JOK had 101 tackles in his third season and two interceptions, which were great numbers. What was even better was his 20 tackles for a loss, which means an unbelievable 19.8 percent of his tackles happened behind the line of scrimmage.

Linebackers are often seen as the running backs of the defense. In other words, they can be easily replaced. A huge reason for this belief is their lack of impact on a game. Typically, they rack up a lot of stops but they're not making game-changing plays. Instead, they're stopping a running back after he already had five or more yards.

Take Joe Schobert as an example.

Schobert was the NFL leader in tackles in 2017 with 144. He had a great season but had just four tackles for a loss. That's why the Browns didn't re-sign him in 2020.

Owusu-Koramoah, however, is different. His 20 tackles for a loss in 2023 is three shy of what Schobert has in his seven-year career — which included 99 games. JOK took off under Jim Schwartz and finally reached his full potential and the Browns would be wise to extend him now rather than let him hit the field and continue to drive up his value.

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