JOK was placed on PUP for the 2nd time, and his career future now looks uncertain
For the second straight year, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will spend an NFL season not playing football. The Cleveland Browns placed the 26-year-old linebacker on the reserve/physically unable to perform list today, confirming he will miss the entire 2026 campaign with the neck injury that has now kept him off the field for more than a year and a half. What remains unresolved is the bigger question: whether he will ever play again.
The announcement that ended his 2026 season before it started
The reserve/PUP designation removes Owusu-Koramoah from the active roster entirely, preventing any participation in training camp or the regular season. This is the second consecutive May the Browns have made this move with the linebacker they signed to a three-year, $37.5 million contract extension just weeks before the injury that has since defined his story.
General Manager Andrew Berry offered little optimism at the NFL scouting combine in February, signaling he did not expect Owusu-Koramoah to be available for the upcoming season. Today’s announcement made that assessment official.
The #Browns have placed LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (neck) on the reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list for the second straight season.
That means he will not play in 2026. pic.twitter.com/3p6D7cCoqu
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 8, 2026
The retirement question he has already disputed
Alongside the PUP news, reports surfaced earlier this offseason suggesting that Owusu-Koramoah’s neck injury could force him into early retirement. He pushed back on those reports directly, making clear he has not given up on returning to the game.
The fact that he disputed the retirement narrative matters. But so does the reality he is navigating. Neck injuries in professional football carry risks that go beyond normal recovery timelines, and 2 consecutive seasons on reserve/PUP with no projected return date leaves his long-term future genuinely open. A clearer picture of what comes next for him may emerge later in the offseason.
Away from football, Owusu-Koramoah is pursuing a master’s degree in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, a choice that reflects how seriously he is taking the time away from the field and building toward a future that does not depend entirely on what his body can withstand.
What his career looked like before the injury
Owusu-Koramoah was drafted in the second round out of Notre Dame in 2021 and developed steadily into one of the more dynamic linebackers in the league. His breakout arrived in 2023, when he recorded 101 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 6 pass breakups and 1 forced fumble across 16 games, earning his first Pro Bowl selection and establishing himself as a player the Browns intended to build their defense around for years.
The contract extension signed in August 2024 reflected that investment. Across 49 career games, he posted 302 tackles, 8 sacks, 3 interceptions, 17 passes defensed, 6 forced fumbles and 40 tackles for loss. His collision with Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry on October 27, 2024 interrupted a career that appeared to be approaching its best years.
How the Browns are moving forward
Cleveland did not wait for the recovery situation to resolve before building its depth. Carson Schwesinger, selected in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft from UCLA specifically to address the gap Owusu-Koramoah’s injury created, stepped in immediately and delivered. He finished his rookie season with 156 tackles and 2 interceptions and was named the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year, giving the Browns a credible long-term answer at the position.
Schwesinger will be joined in 2026 by veteran Quincy Williams, brought in from the New York Jets in free agency. New defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg will oversee the group under first-year head coach Todd Monken.
Cleveland dominated defensively in 2025 without Owusu-Koramoah and has the pieces to do so again. The quieter reality, though, is that one of the better young linebackers in the league is watching from the sideline for the 2nd consecutive year while his future remains genuinely unresolved.