Irish vs. Irish: Five exciting former Notre Dame player matchups on the 2022 NFL schedule

While bits and pieces of the 2022 NFL schedules leaked out throughout last week, the official schedule reveal occurred Thursday night. With 272 games on the schedule and 48 former Notre Dame players in the NFL, there are bound to be several good one-on-one matchups between former Irish players.

Here are five exciting ones to watch, listed in chronological order.

Carolina Panthers TE Tommy Tremble & Cleveland Browns LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah — Sept. 11

Two of Notre Dame’s top 2021 rookies will square off in Week 1 of the NFL season as Cleveland visits Carolina.

Tremble quickly worked his way into the No. 1 tight end spot for head coach Matt Rhule last year and caught 20 balls for 180 yards and a score. He also ran for a touchdown, and at 21 years and 113 days old, Tremble became the youngest tight end in NFL history to rush for a score.

Presumably tasked with covering him at some point over the 60 minutes will be linebacker Owusu-Koramoah. The 6-2, 220-pound lengthy linebacker, who doubles as a “rover” as needed, made 76 stops with 1.5 sacks and two forced fumbles over 14 games during his inaugural season. He made a total of 10 starts and spent part of the season on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Expect an even more productive Year 2 from the Virginia native.

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Miami Dolphins OT Liam Eichenberg & Detroit Lions EDGE Romeo Okwara — Oct. 30

Eichenberg was Notre Dame’s most notable offensive rookie in 2021, as he started 16 of 17 games for the Dolphins. According to PFF, the 6-6, 302-pound tackle played a total of 1,108 snaps and allowed nine sacks. He will be working under new offensive line coach Matt Applebaum in 2022 for his second campaign, and he will have to handle a veteran when the Dolphins head to Ford Field.

Okwara is returning from a ruptured Achilles, and the Lions hope to have him back for training camp. It’s a safe bet to say he will be playing by late October. The 6-4, 255-pound EDGE had just one sack last year before the Week 4 injury, but he had 10 in 2020.

Okwara’s backup could also be in this conversation, his younger brother and fellow former Notre Dame player, Julian. He had five sacks in 2021, his second year in the NFL.

Pittsburgh Steelers WR Chase Claypool & Baltimore Ravens SAF Kyle Hamilton — Dec. 11 & Jan. 1

Watching 6-4 Claypool and 6-4 Hamilton match up on the field will be a treat, one that we get to watch twice in 2022 and hopefully many more times in the future.

The Steelers have a lot of new blood on the offensive side of the ball, but it’s pretty safe to assume Claypool will have a large role on the boundary if healthy. He caught 59 balls for 860 yards and two scores last season.

Indianapolis Colts OG Quenton Nelson & Los Angeles Chargers DT Jerry Tillery — Dec. 26

Notre Dame’s best player in the NFL is entering his fifth year in the league, and the expectations for Nelson only continue to climb. Just after Christmas on Monday Night Football, Nelson and the Indianapolis Colts will host Tillery and the Los Angeles Chargers.

Despite battling injuries throughout 2021, including a high ankle sprain which cost him three games, Nelson played 767 snaps and allowed one sack, continuing his dominance up front.

Tillery is entering his final season on contract with Los Angeles, as the team declined his fifth-year option on his rookie contract. The former first-rounder recorded 4.5 sacks last season, second on the team behind star linebacker Joey Bosa. He also had 51 tackles, his best number to date.

Los Angeles Rams RB Kyren Williams & Chargers LB Drue Tranquill — Jan. 1

This is of course assuming Williams, a rookie and expected No. 3 back, is getting carries. I’m speaking it into existence here. Rams head coach Sean McVay has to use him, right?

Williams had 204 carries for 1,002 yards and 14 scores on the ground last season. A dangerous slot receiver as well, the 5-9, 199-pound back caught 42 balls for 359 yards and three receiving touchdowns.

If Williams wants to make an impact in the crosstown showdown, odds are he will encounter a former Irish linebacker and fourth-round 2019 NFL Draft selection in Tranquill. The 6-2, 234-pound linebacker accumulated 76 tackles in 2021, which is third among returning players for the Chargers and first among players outside of the secondary.