If Sunday was Azeez Ojulari’s final game as a Giant, the fourth-year edge rusher called this a “tough” situation to process.
“It’s a tough way to go out if this is the last one here,” Ojulari, 24, said after the defense recorded no sacks in the Giants’ 27-22 loss to the Washington Commanders. “I feel like we could have been way better, but I can’t control that.
“I’m gonna miss being here for sure if this is [my last game here], but damn, I don’t know,” he added. “It’s tough. It’s tough, man. I don’t know what’s gonna happen. They didn’t tell me anything, so I don’t know. Maybe [Monday] we’ll see something.”
Ojulari, a 2021 Giants second-round pick, sees the writing on the wall that it feels almost inevitable he could be traded by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline.
He has six sacks and has stayed healthy approaching free agency next spring, but the Giants have invested heavy resources in two pass rushers above him in Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
So the Giants have been talking to teams about possibly moving Ojulari, including at least one serious suitor, sources say. The Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals are the two teams that have been linked most consistently to Ojulari.
His younger brother, BJ Ojulari, 22, is on injured reserve with the Cardinals. And the Marietta, Ga., product played his college ball for the Georgia Bulldogs. So both would be good personal fits.
Giants GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll don’t exactly have the luxury to give away good players, though, either – even though it helps to get assets back for expiring contracts.
Thibodeaux (wrist) is still on injured reserve and has not rushed the passer as well as Ojulari this season. There is also no reliable depth at that position behind the Giants’ top three.
Schoen and Daboll would have the same problem if they traded away veteran receiver Darius Slayton, who remains eligible to be dealt despite being in the concussion protocol.
They would acquire an asset for a good player with an eye on next year’s draft, but who would replace Slayton on the field the rest of this season?
The Giants have shown no confidence in third-round pick Jalin Hyatt, and he hasn’t made enough plays when he’s been out there.
The question is whether Schoen and Daboll can trade players of this caliber and prevent the bottom from falling out on the season.
It feels like the Giants are already there in many ways, but it could get even worse if players see the GM shipping out talents similar to how he dealt away Leonard Williams to Seattle in 2023.
Co-owner John Mara already delivered a vote of confidence in his GM and coach through the rest of this season. However, Mara only said he didn’t “anticipate” any changes in the offseason.
Co-owner Steve Tisch also has yet to weigh in. So how comfortable will Schoen and Daboll feel to make these kinds of moves?
Remember: Ojulari and Slayton aren’t going to fetch a second-round pick like Williams did from the Seahawks, either. These will be day three selections coming back to New York.
That could add ammunition for a possible move up the 2025 NFL Draft board for a quarterback.
Both trades would make this team worse, though, as Schoen and Daboll scramble to show some progress with this team before it reaches January’s finish line.
Whether Ojulari stays or goes, regardless, it has been refreshing to see him stay healthy, produce and position himself for a solid second contract.
Ojulari is a well-regarded teammate and young man with a bright future who treats people well and deserves success.
“I feel like it’s a testament to God, my coaches and my teammates pushing me every day,” he said of his 2024 production. “You’ve got Dex, Burns, even KT, and I feel like they’re pushing me every day. The defense we have, the coaches, everyone just expecting the dog mentality out of everyone. And I feel like they pushed me and everyone together, and it’s showing.”
JUST KICK IT
The Giants did not convert either of Daboll’s two-point conversion tries after their fourth quarter touchdowns. They are now 0-for-6 this season on two-point tries. Daboll said his decision there was “analytics-based” and that he felt “good about what we had,” but the fact that he hasn’t built his own team’s shortcomings into his choices in these situations has set the Giants up for failure … Tight ends Chris Manhertz and Theo Johnson caught Daniel Jones’ two touchdown passes Sunday. It was the first Giants game with two tight end TD catches since Kyle Rudolph and Evan Engram hauled in touchdowns at the Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 1, 2021 … Daboll admitted that kicker Greg Joseph (oblique), who was placed on injured reserve, got hurt in practice. But when asked if there is anything Daboll can do about so many kickers getting injured in practice lately, the coach answered with one word: “No.”
