BEREA, Ohio — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from a previous story.
When the Cleveland Browns take the field for their first training camp practice in pads on Tuesday, they'll also be welcoming back one of their most highly touted rookies. Hours ahead of Tuesday's practice, the Browns announced that they have activated Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah from the reserve/COVID-19 list with the rookie linebacker expected to make his training camp debut later in the day.
Selected by the Browns in the second round, Owusu-Koramoah was considered by many to be one of the biggest steals of the 2021 NFL Draft. After amassing 62 tackles, 11 of which came for a loss, 1.5 sacks and one interception in 12 games during his junior season at Notre Dame, the 2020 Butkus Award winner was projected by many to be a first-round talent in this year's draft.
But due in part to reports of heart issue that was discovered during the pre-draft process, Owusu-Koramoah slid into the second round, with Cleveland trading up to the No. 52 overall pick to select him. In joining the Browns, the 21-year-old Owusu-Koraomoah is expected to help bolster the team's linebacking corps, but will face competition for playing time from second-year linebacker Jacob Phillips, as well as veterans Sione Takitaki, Mack Wilson and Malcolm Smith.
Established last year, the NFL's reserve/COVID-19 list was created for players who have either tested positive for or faced high-risk exposure to COVID-19. Last week, Browns general manager Andrew Berry said that more than 90 percent of the team's players, as well as 100 percent of its coaches have received the COVID-19 vaccine.