A new era of NY Giants football on defense is on the way in 2024. Wink Martindale is out of town and now making his way to Michigan. With that, Shane Bowen will be tasked to have the Giants D flying all over the field and linebacker Bobby Okereke is ready to make magic happen.
Okereke is coming off an incredible first season with the G-Men. The fact that he didn't take home Pro Bowl honors was a joke. Looking ahead to next campaign, however, the stud 'backer is fired up to put on a show and he knows that Bowen, the former Titans DC, is going to make life a whole lot easier for him.
Bobby Okereke is excited to work with new Giants DC Shane Bowen
"I think he's just going to simplify the game for me, let me play fast, physical, not think too much and really just go dominate. "Bobby Okereke speaking with USA Today
Those are the words of a young man who knows Bowen is going to help him elevate his game. This past season for Big Blue, Okereke finished with 149 total tackles, two interceptions and 2.5 sacks for Brian Daboll and Martindale.
He and Micah McFadden proved to be a fantastic duo working together. The inside linebacker play was finally pretty consistent for the Giants, something fans had been wanting to see for what felt like more than a decade. Okereke was signed to a four-year, $40 million deal last offseason and he's already proving to be worth every penny.
Despite Okereke's fantastic performance from start to finish, the Giants finished the year 6-11 and missed out on the playoffs. It was a major step back from the postseason trip in 2022, but Okereke and Co. are focused on getting back to a high level in '24.
Bowen has the potential to make a major impact on the defense and if he finds a way to help Okereke up his game, then there's no telling how strong the unit as a whole can look once next fall rolls around.