The Pittsburgh Steelers and their fans never really feel bad about division rival misfortunes. While certain things should never be rooted for, you'll never see a coach or player sad about something like that actually benefits them on the field. Even their perennial punching bag in the Cleveland Browns, who have dealt with all sorts of problems in and out of their control, are usually not worth feeling bad over. Despite all that, they seem to be unable to catch a break, and it happened again shortly after the 2025 NFL Draft.
Steelers.com
Former Browns WR Kadarius Toney muffs the punt and Steelers' Ben Skowronek recovers it.
The Browns officially announced that linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will miss the 2025 season with a neck injury, as their injury problems keep piling up on them.
JOK will be placed on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list and will not return for the 2025 season
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) May 12, 2025
📰 » https://t.co/TSVNPMpz84 pic.twitter.com/dA3xdfSHxT
Owusu-Koramoah entered the 2021 NFL Draft with health concerns, which forced the former top prospect to fall into the second round. That's where the Browns decided to take a chance on him. Every now and then, those exact concerns pop up, but it's usually short-term. However, this latest injury is something you never want to see any player go through.
John Kuntz / Cleveland.com
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah tackles Breece Hall during a game against the Jets.
Owusu-Koramoah suffered a brutal neck injury in Week 8, and he clearly has not recovered enough for the Browns to take the chance on rushing him into 2025. He will get the whole year to recover, so he can come back in 2026 stronger. As rough of a situation as that is, the Steelers have had recent history with this unfortunate outcome too.
Steelers' 2024 Rookie Never Got To Play A Snap
In preseason of his rookie year, safety Ryan Watts suffered a major neck injury that caused him to miss the whole season. After the 2025 NFL Draft, General Manager Omar Khan announced that Watts had to medically retire from the game. Pittsburgh can sympathize with what's going on in Cleveland. Hopefully, Owusu-Koramoah won't have to go that far, but it is still a scary situation all around.
Sebastian Foltz / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Former Steelers safety Ryan Watts (#29) runs through a drill as the team practices during 2024 training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
The Browns foresaw this outcome happening in fact, which resulted in them using the 33rd overall pick on linebacker Carson Schwesinger. If the worst-case scenario happens, Schwesinger could quickly move into the full-time starter role. He should get plenty of chances as rotational piece in his rookie season. No matter what happens, we hope the best for Owusu-Koramoah, even though he plays for a division rival.
What do you think about Owusu-Koramoah missing the 2025 season for the Browns? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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