Browns' Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah Will Miss 2025 NFL Season With Neck Injury

The 2025 NFL season is months away, and the Cleveland Browns' defense already took a major hit.

The Browns announced on Monday that linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah on the reserve/physically unable to perform list due to a neck injury, ruling him out for the entire 2025 campaign.

"While I won't suit up this season, I'm focused on what I can control—my healing, my mindset, and my faith. The body may rest, but the calling never sleeps," Owusu-Koramoah said in a statement. "I've given my heart to this game. I don't know what's next, but I'll continue trusting my medical team, serving the community, and backing my brothers on the field."

A second-round pick out of Notre Dame in 2021, Owusu-Koramoah enjoyed a breakout season in 2023 and finished with career highs of 101 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions and six passes defended while also adding a forced fumble. He was rewarded with a three-year, $39 million contract extension last August, and he picked up right where he left off at the start of the 2024 season before disaster struck.

Owusu-Koramoah produced 61 tackles, three sacks, an interception and a forced fumble in just eight games before suffering a season-ending neck injury during a game against the Baltimore Ravens. He collided with star running back Derrick Henry and had to be carted off the field and taken to a local hospital for further evaluation. The Browns said he was making progress in his recovery before it was ultimately determined that he would have to sit out for the upcoming year.

"Jeremiah has the full support of our team, and we expect him to continue to be a part of the organization even though he will not return to the field this year," Browns general manager Andrew Berry said in a statement. "We will not make any predictions on Jeremiah's football future at this time, but we do note that he's in good spirits and will continue to take the advice of the world-class medical experts who will continue to guide his progress and recovery."

Losing Owusu-Koramoah could open the door for rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger to see significant time after Cleveland used the first pick in the second round of last month's draft to select him. The team also re-signed linebackers Devin Bush and Jerome Baker to one-year deals this offseason.