Okoye (ankle) returned to the field for Sunday's preseason game against the Broncos.

Okoye suffered a mild ankle injury in last week's preseason game. He suited up Sunday and appears to be over the minor injury. Okoye will continue to fight for a spot on the 53-man roster as a member of the coverage team.

Okoye left Thursday's game with an ankle injury, CSN Bay Area reports.

Okoye had to be helped off the field when a teammate rolled over his ankle in the team's preseason opener. The X-rays on his ankle came back negative, but his status for next week's preseason game remains in question.

49ers DE Lawrence Okoye is not expected to make the roster as a defensive lineman.

The freakishly athletic ex-Olympian has struggled in D-Line drills and goes 6-foot-6, which requires a ton of knee-bending on the defensive line. CSN Bay Area's Matt Maiocco does suggest Okoye could make the Niners as a kick-coverage maven, where he can "blast down the field faster than men who weigh 75 pounds less." At 304 pounds, Okoye ran as fast as 4.78 in the forty last year.

49ers signed DE Lawrence Okoye and WR Devon Wylie to reserve/future contracts.

Once compared to Wes Welker by draftniks, Wylie is a former fourth-round pick of the Chiefs. Okoye is a major developmental prospect who was waived/injured last August by the 49ers. He is a former rugby player and track star.

49ers waived/injured DL Lawrence Okoye and Lamar Divens.

A former rugby player and track star, Okoye was fully expected to wind up on the practice squad, but will instead spend the year on injured reserve if/when he clears waivers. He'll presumably make another long-shot roster bid next summer. Divens hasn't appeared in a game since 2010.

Coach Jim Harbaugh acknowledged rugby player-turned-49ers rookie DE Lawrence Okoye is "not a good football player" right now.

"His next goal is to be 'not a bad player,'" said Harbaugh. "I want him to be a bad football player because that's really the next jump up for Lawrence Okoye." Okoye will get lots of preseason reps, but looks practice squad-bound at best.

49ers UDFA DL Lawrence Okoye acknowledged after OTAs that playing football is "the hardest thing I've ever done."

No defensive lineman at 49ers spring workouts took more reps than Okoye. "It's the hardest thing I've ever done, I'm under no illusions," admitted Okoye, who hasn't even practiced in a full-contact setting yet. An English rugby player and discus thrower, Okoye is playing American football for the first time in his life. It will be interesting to see if he lands a job on the practice squad.

According to ESPN's John Clayton, the "early word" on 49ers undrafted rookie DL Lawrence Okoye is he's shown enough talent at offseason workouts to make a serious run at a 53-man roster spot.

Per Clayton, there is "such a good buzz" on the freakishly athletic Okoye that he'd get claimed off waivers if San Francisco tried to push him onto the practice squad. Of course, Okoye has never played organized football and his star could fade fast when contact practices begin. Okoye is a former rugby player.