If Bobby Okereke is paying attention to the New York Giants this week, he probably won’t love what he sees in Indianapolis. The veteran linebacker might be realizing his spot isn’t as secure as it once felt.
It’s NFL Scouting Combine week in Indy, where teams get up close and personal with prospects before draft boards truly start to take shape. Linebackers, defensive linemen, and special teams prospects arrived Monday, with interviews running through Wednesday. And for Okereke, the word that'll haunt his dreams is "linebacker."
General manager Joe Schoen and head coach John Harbaugh wasted no time meeting with some of the top prospects at the position. Ohio State’s Sonny Styles and Texas’ Anthony Hill Jr. both told reporters Wednesday morning they had private interviews with Big Blue. And that’s not exactly comforting news if you’re Okereke.
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The Giants’ linebackers have struggled over the past couple of seasons, and an overhaul feels overdue. Okereke is set to carry a $14.5 million cap hit, and moving on would free up $9 million for a team that isn’t exactly swimming in space. When you factor in the early interviews at the combine, the recent production at the position, and the financial flexibility of going the cap casualty route, it’s not hard to connect the dots.
Bobby Okereke’s $9 million cap savings loom large at NFL Combine
Okereke carries a $14.5 million cap hit in the final year of his deal, and that’s a steep number for a linebacker whose play hasn’t matched it the last two seasons. The Giants could clear $9 million by moving on, and for a team with limited cap space, addition by subtraction is in play.
He’s also due a $3 million bonus if he’s still on the roster come March 13. Teams don’t usually let that date sneak up on them. Schoen said they’ll sort it out when they get back and have a clearer picture of their free agents and cap space, which is about as non-committal as it gets. Cutting Devin Singletary, James Hudson, and Graham Gano would free up over $15 million, and those feel like the obvious first dominoes.
The real question is whether Okereke is next once the math starts mathing.
Queue the combine interviews. Styles looks like the kind of linebacker this defense has been begging for. At 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds with a safety background, he can offer the defense a lot. If Harbaugh wants a true signal-caller in the middle, as he has always had -- Ray Lewis, C.J. Mosley, Patrick Queen, Roquan Smith -- Styles checks a lot of boxes. He would have to be their first-round pick, though. And it's very uncommon for an off-ball LB to go top five.
Which is likely why Big Blue also met with Hill. He plays fast, hits hard, and can rush the passer from the second level. He has struggled with missed tackles in the past, but those dropped significantly last season. Hill is smaller than Styles -- 6-foot-3, 238 pounds -- but still possesses an ideal frame for the position. The 21-year-old could be in play with New York's 37th pick.
Whether it’s Styles at five, Hill at 37, or someone else with another pick, the message is the same. The Giants are doing their homework, and that’s not something you do unless you’re preparing for change. I hope Okereke's not averse to change.