5 significant questions for the NY Giants at linebacker
By Doug Rush
As the days continue to tick away until the start of training camp and the preseason for the NY Giants, the question marks surround certain positions on the roster. Some look at wide receiver and wonder if the group will perform better than what we saw in 2022.
Some are looking at the secondary and especially at cornerback and wonder if they will improve after an up and down season a year ago. And as always, many will look at the offensive line, a group that drastically needs to improve from the last few seasons.
One position that is a bit under the radar is the linebacker spot for the Giants, mostly because the main focus for the defense is their line and how much praise it gets for being a top unit in the league. At one time, the Giants were known in the league for their linebackers - having perhaps the greatest linebacker to ever play in the NFL with Lawrence Taylor will do that.
Last year, the linebacker group was a bit thin and we saw a bit of a revolving door with players getting injured and others being added in midseason because the Giants needed reinforcements at the position. Let's take a look at some of the issues surrounding the linebacker position for the Giants heading into the 2023 season:
5. Can Azeez Ojulari stay healthy?
In his rookie season, Azeez Ojulari bursted onto the season and showed that he could be a formidable pass-rusher for the Giants, as he had eight sacks during the 2021 season. Unfortunately for Ojulari and the Giants, health got in the way of his progress during his second season, as he was only available to play in just seven games due to multiple injuries throughout the season.
He did, though, record 5.5 sacks in 2022, which was the second highest amongst all Giants players. But for the Giants defense to take the next step in 2023, they will need more from him.
With a lot of the focus on the other side with Kayvon Thibodeaux, Ojulari has opportunities to take advantage of the attention Thibodeaux draws to his side and get after the quarterback. It's clear that Ojulari has the tools and the talent to be a successful pass-rusher and help the Giants.
But the issue for him is being able to stay on the field and healthy enough to produce the results everyone knows he's capable of.