With several teams in the market for edge defenders, could the Giants move him before the trade deadline?
New York Giants edge defender Azeez Ojulari has taken advantage of Kayvon Thibodeaux’s absence to remind both the Giants and the NFL at large that he can be a difference-making pass rusher.
Ojulari has five sacks in the three games since and his 6.0 sacks on the season has him tied for 10th in the league.
With the NFL trade deadline looming on Tuesday, Nov. 5, there are several potential suitors for Ojulari’s services.
Draft Network lists the Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens, and San Francisco 49ers as potential suitors for Ojulari’s services.
The Lions, of course, will be without star edge defender Aidan Hutchinson for the remainder of the season. The Ravens and 49ers could each use more pass rush depth for a playoff push.
NFL.com also thinks Ojulari could be a fit for the 49ers:
Kyle Shanahan’s club has depth questions behind star Nick Bosa and veteran Leonard Floyd. Bosa, as per usual, leads the team with 44 QB pressures and 4.5 sacks. Floyd has shown he has some juice, putting up 24 pressures and three sacks. But the production falls off after them. Adding another rotational edge player — just like GM John Lynch did last year at the deadline — could jumpstart the entire unit. Picking up another interior player, with Javon Hargrave out, also could be an option.
Ojulari has been a sensation in the three weeks since Kayvon Thibodeaux went down with an injury. He’s generated six sacks on the season, five over the past three games, and his 14 percent pressure rate is excellent. The 24-year-old would pair well opposite Bosa and help keep Floyd fresh for the stretch run.
The Giants sit in last place in the NFC East, and their season is on the brink. They have money tied up in Brian Burns and Thibodeaux, and Ojulari is set to hit the free agency market in the spring. Big Blue should get what they can for the young pass rusher now rather than wait until the spring.
The Atlanta Falcons are another team that could use an edge defender.
Ojulari on Thursday reiterated something that he told Big Blue View a week ago:
“I’m just here every day. Whatever happens, happens,” he said. “I’m just ready to keep working here. I love it here. Ready to keep working. I’m just doing my thing.”
His “thing” is likely to get him paid handsomely this offseason. Even though the Giants have not signaled an intent to trade players by the deadline, it could find him in a new home for the second half of this season.
