The NY Giants bolstered their pass rush Wednesday evening, agreeing to terms on a one-year contract with former Minnesota Vikings edge rusher Ifeadi Odenigbo.
Odenigbo, 26, has the chance to step in and play an immediate role in the NY Giants’ pass rush, after the Vikings decided not to use the seventh-round tender, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.
“He has great quickness and is a really smart and productive player,” former Minnesota Vikings general manager and Executive of The Year tells GmenHQ. “I was surprised the Vikings didn’t tender him after he had seven sacks as a part-time player in 2019, and led the team in quarterback pressures this past season.”
A Bayonne, N.J. native, Odenigbo has 10.5 career sacks and emerged as a starter along the Vikings’ front-seven in 2020.
Last season, Odenigbo produced four sacks and 42 total pressures — including 11 quarterback hits, on his way to garnering a 68.2 pass-rush grade from Pro Football Focus.
With plenty of upside, and on a contract that will pay just $2.5 million this season, this has the feel of a low-risk and potentially high-reward addition for the Giants.
“I think he’ll do well with the Giants, and in their scheme,” Diamond says.
Here’s a look at three things to know about the newest NY Giants pass-rusher, Ifeadi Odenigbo:
He was a late-bloomer in the NFL
Originally chosen by the Vikings in the seventh-round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Odenigbo was waived by Minnesota that September and he spent time with the Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals that season, but did not play in a game until the 2018 campaign.
Released by the Cardinals on Oct. 23, 2018, Odenigbo re-signed with the VIkings later that month before signing a futures contract that offseason.
Odenigbo’s second stint with the Vikings proved to be a productive one.
In 2019, Odenigbo produced a career-high seven sacks as a mainstay in the Vikings’ pass-rush rotation, and even returned a Russell Wilson fumble 56-yards for a touchdown that season.
PFF gave Odenigbo a career-high 73.2 pass-rush grade in 2019, as he generated 25 pressures in addition to the most sacks of his career.
Success up front, despite commanding double-teams
The past two seasons, Odenigbo has frequently drawn double-teams, and still been able to log productive pass-rush numbers.
According to Sports Info Solutions, Odenigbo rushed the passer on 97.8 percent of his snaps last season, and generated pressure on 8% of his snaps, and produced a sack on just under 1 % of those snaps.
At Northwestern, Odenigbo was a focal point of the Wildcats’ pass-rush, and he ran a 4.72 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, so he’ll infuse a bit of speed to the Giants’ front-seven upon arrival.
In an expanded role, Odenigbo could level-up the Giants’ pass-rush and breakout in 2021.
How he’ll fit with the NY Giants
Mining edge rush help through free agency and the NFL Draft was always going to be a top priority for the Giants this offseason, and a player of Odenigbo’s caliber — and price tag, is precisely the type of depth player this organization needs to be signing … In addition to targeting players at the top of the market and early in the draft.
Given that both Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines are question marks, coming off significant injuries in 2020, there is a chance that Odenigbo will compete for meaningful snaps immediately, and depending on if there is another free agent acquisition, perhaps replacing the Kyler Fackrell’s snaps in the starting lineup.
Matt Lombardo is the site expert for GMenHQ, and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday for FanSided. Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattLombardoNFL.