It wasn't long ago that the New York Giants expected Azeez Ojulari to be the face of their defense. After an eight-sack rookie season in which he appeared in all 17 games. But in the four years since, his durability concerns have turned him into less of a future superstar and more of a cautionary tale.
From 2022 to 2024, Ojulari appeared in just 29 games for the Giants before signing with the Philadelphia Eagles, for whom he played just three games last year. And now he's set to embark on another scenery change with the Atlanta Falcons, a team desperate for impact pass-rushers.
On paper, it should be the perfect place for the 26-year-old to revive his career. The Falcons lost Jalon Walker for the season due to a torn ACL, and James Pearce Jr. was suspended for the first eight games of the season following his February arrest, so desperate might be an understatement.
Azeez Ojulari's biggest issue will plague him with the Atlanta Falcons
By that logic, Azeez Ojulari is forced to play a key role in Atlanta. The only pass-rushers they have right now are Ojulari, Cameron Thomas, Bralen Trice, Cameron Sample, Samson Ebukam, and the recently-signed Za'Darius Smith--who is 33 years old and retired after just five weeks last season.
Unfortunately, Falcons fans better not get their hopes up, because they're about to learn a lesson the Giants are all too familiar with. The 2021 second-round pick has proven to be a solid rotational pass-rusher when he's on the field, but that's a major if when you look at his alarming injury history.
- 2022: 7 games (calf/ankle)
- 2023: 11 games (hamstring/ankle)
- 2024: 11 games (toe)
- 2025: 3 games (hamstring)
The other thing is that, considering the state of their EDGE room, even a healthy Ojulari isn't going to solve all of their issues. His best year came as a rookie, and he's never come close to the double-digit sack artist Big Blue expected him to become. Thank god we have Abdul Carter and Brian Burns now.
The Georgia product can get to the quarterback, but how consistently? We've never seen Ojulari take a step forward after 2021, and after a while, any reason to believe in a breakout is gone. Maybe he can have a solid year with the Falcons, but if he can't stay healthy, this will likely be his last chance.
Without Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr., Azeez Ojulari is one of many players the Atlanta Falcons are banking on to step up, but unfortunately for them, that doesn't seem likely to happen.
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