The New York Giants’ season has not gotten off to the start that they had envisioned. Now sitting at 1-3 to start the year, the possibility of the Giants looking ahead to the future and becoming sellers at the trade deadline has strengthened. As a result, former second-round pick Azeez Ojulari could wind up on the trade block.
Azeez Ojulari has been playing well and improving his trade value
Through the first four weeks of the season, Ojulari has played well, flashing some of the potential that made him one of the Giants’ most exciting players following his 2021 rookie season. That year, Ojulari set a franchise record with 8.5 sacks, the most by a rookie in the team’s history since the statistic has been officially tracked.
Ojulari failed to match the expectations he set for himself in that rookie campaign in the following two seasons, however. Injuries have held him back as he only played in 18 total games over the last two years with 12 starts. So far this season, though, Ojulari has flashed some of that potential that was demonstrated during his rookie year.
In four games played with zero starts, Ojulari has totaled nine combined tackles, one tackle for loss, and one sack on the season. He has also added one fumble recovery and one quarterback hit. Pro Football Focus has credited Ojulari with five total pressures, three hurries, and a 10.6% pass-rush win rate across just 18 pass-rushing snaps. His 23.5% pass-rush win rate on true-passing sets leads the team’s edge rushers.
While Ojulari’s resurgence is encouraging and should incentivize the Giants to make him a larger component of their defense, it could also fuel a potential trade for the fourth-year pass rusher.
The New York Giants could be sellers at the trade deadline
With a 1-3 start to the season casting a shadow of doubt over the Giants’ future, they could wind up being sellers at the mid-season trade deadline. If the Giants decide to offload some assets mid-way through this season and trade some of their players at the deadline, Ojulari could be one of their more attractive pieces to teams around the league.
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Ojulari might benefit from a change of scenery
Additionally, Ojulari is playing a rotational role behind starting edge rushers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns. A trade to a new team could give Ojulari an opportunity to play in a starting capacity and earn a more lucrative contract next offseason.
The Giants’ defense has had some good moments so far this season and Ojulari has been involved in a fair share of their success. However, if the season continues to spiral out of control, Ojulari could be an intriguing trade asset for the Giants to consider offloading before the deadline.
