The New York Giants seem to be straddling a fence.
After deciding not to aggressively trade up for one of the top quarterbacks in this year’s NFL Draft class, and selecting electrifying wide receiver Malik Nabers with the No. 6 overall pick, instead, the 2024 campaign seem to be a make-or-break campaign for Daniel Jones.
However, there are other pressing needs on the roster alongside uncertainty surrounding who will be behind center during the 2025 season, and beyond.
If the Giants’ hope is to compete for a playoff spot with Jones this season and then continue buttressing the core around him with top-of-market free agents next offseason, it could take a career year from the former No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft to live up to those expectations.
Similarly, general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll might have opportunities to unload talented players for draft capital to get younger at key positions ahead of a complete reset at the position around a rookie quarterback in 2025.
Is Azeez Ojulari an Ideal Trade Candidate for New York Giants?
Schoen and the Giants have found their pass-rush duo to build around, in Brian Burns and former first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux.
That could leave Azeez Ojulari as an odd-man-out, and ideal candidate to be traded at some point between now and the trade deadline this fall.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine compiled a list of veteran players who could be on the trade market, including Ojulari.
“The 2021 second-round pick showed promise with eight sacks and 13 quarterback hits in his rookie season,” Ballentine points out for B/R. “However, he’s only combined for eight sacks and 14 quarterback hits over the last two seasons thanks to injuries.
“He only has one year on his contract. After losing snaps to Burns and Thibodeaux, it would stand to reason that he could be on the way out anyway. Sending him to another team that needs a rotational pass-rusher to get more picks would make sense for the Giants.”
Ojulari undoubtedly can be a meaningful part of the Giants’ pass-rush rotation, despite injuries wreaking havoc on his career and posting just a combined eight sacks over the past two seasons.
But, if the Giants have a wider view of the future and believe that this has the potential to be the early stages of a rebuild, Ojulari may prove more valuable as a trade chip given the fact that he plays a premium position and New York may need all the ammunition it can get its hands on to trade up for a quarterback in 2025, should Jones falter and the need arise.
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