It's hard to come up with many positives for the NY Giants this season. At 5-11, the Giants are looking at the No. 5 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft instead of being in a position to fight for the postseason. Yup, this campaign has been a major disappointment.
However, despite all of the headaches, there has been some strong play from a handful of individuals. This 100 percent includes linebacker Bobby Okereke. When Joe Schoen signed him to a four-year, $40 million deal last March, Okereke arrived to East Rutherford with monster expectations. It's safe to say he has delivered for the G-Men.
Bobby Okereke (OKRK) Stock 📈📈📈 #NYGiants pic.twitter.com/1CiQiCQxaZ
— Fireside Giants (@FiresideGiants) January 2, 2024
Giants LB Bobby Okereke has been a beast for Wink Martindale in 2023
With one more game to go, Okereke has posted 101 tackles, five pass deflections, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions and four forced fumbles. These are the exact kinds of numbers that Giants fans were hoping to see out of No. 58.
The linebacker play for the Giants in recent years has been nothing short of a nightmare, but as soon as Okereke put the pen to paper on his new deal, people were optimistic he'd be able to play at a Pro Bowl level. Thus far, Okereke has done just that.
The hope is that Micah McFadden can improve and prove to be a stud next to Okereke in the middle. McFadden has looked brilliant at times this season, but missed tackles have also been a problem for the youngster. Despite that, there's potential for Okereke and McFadden to be a great duo for years to come.
Regardless of how McFadden turns out, there's no question that Okereke won't be a player Brian Daboll and Wink Martindale (if he's back next season) will have to worry about. He is an elite playmaker for this defense and more of the same will be the way in 2024. What a talent he is.