The New York Giants’ season is off to a demoralizing 0-2 start. Oftentimes, when teams find themselves in an early hole to start the season, it doesn’t take long for the wheels to fall off and for the team to have a fire sale of its players. The 2024 NFL trade deadline is just over one month away and, if the Giants’ losing ways continue, they could look to offload talent for future draft capital as they rebuild the roster.
Azeez Ojulari named a top trade candidate
In a recent article previewing the NFL’s top candidates to move at the trade deadline, ESPN’s Dan Graziano named Giants pass-rusher Azeez Ojulari among the top edge rushers who could be traded:
“Ojulari was the Giants’ second-round pick in 2021 and had eight sacks in his rookie season,” Graziano wrote. “But the Giants have overhauled their pass rush and have built it around Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns (as well as Dexter Lawrence II on the interior). Ojulari is making just $1.58 million in the final year of his contract and could benefit from a larger role elsewhere ahead of free agency.”
An expanded role could be attractive to Ojulari. Currently, he is barely seeing the field, having only played 46 total defensive snaps through the first two weeks of the season (36% of the Giants’ defensive snap total). A potential trade elsewhere could see Ojulari become a regular starter on gameday in another city.
Graziano pitched a trade to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a potential landing spot for Ojulari:
“The Bucs are a three-time defending division champion with eyes on the postseason again, and edge rush is a place they could use some more help,” Graziano explained. “Tampa Bay is tied with the Panthers and Commanders for the fewest sacks in the NFL with two. Keep the Raiders, 49ers, Bears, Cardinals and Jets in mind for Ojulari, too.”
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Would it be wise of the Giants to trade Ojulari?
The Giants once viewed Ojulari as one of the team’s most exciting young players. He burst onto the scene as a rookie, making an impact and stuffing the stat sheet.
Ojulari technically holds the Giants’ franchise rookie sack record with 8.5 in 2021 since the stat wasn’t officially tracked during Lawrence Taylor’s rookie season. But it’s been a nosedive in production ever since then with Ojulari totaling just 5.5 sacks in his second season in 2022, then 2.5 sacks in 2023, and he has yet to record a sack in the first two games of the 2024 season.
When the Giants selected Ojulari in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, it was considered a steal. He was a projected first-round pick who went as high as No. 11 to New York in mock drafts during the pre-draft process. He wound up falling all the way to pick No. 50 where Big Blue selected him.
After a strong start to his career, Ojulari has had bouts with injuries that have held him back from continuing to maintain a high level of play. He played just 18 games of a possible 34 across the last two seasons.
Staying healthy should be Ojulari’s top priority this season. His role has been reduced to that of a rotational pass-rusher, but that can be a very important position for an NFL defense. Depth is crucial, especially on the defensive line. And Ojulari’s versatility to play a little bit inside and outside makes him a valuable player.
That value could be maximized with an expanded role in New York, or with a trade to acquire future draft capital for the Giants, sending Ojulari somewhere else where he can see the field on a more consistent down-to-down basis.
