Bills circled as potential trade destination for intriguing young pass-rusher

Bleacher Report feels as though the Buffalo Bills should place a call about New York Giants pass-rusher Azeez Ojulari.

Kyle Silagyi | Oct 23, 2024

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The Buffalo Bills have long generated pass rush by committee, this despite the team’s repeated efforts to secure a game-wrecker on the defensive line through the repeated investment of premium draft capital and the free agent signing of the NFL’s active all-time sack leader in Von Miller. The Bills generally rank among the league leaders in team sacks and pressures, but they’ve had only one double-digit sack producer since head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane took over in 2017 (Leonard Floyd in 2023 with 10.5).

This trend has carried over into the 2024 campaign, as though the team ranks ninth in the league in sacks through seven games (19), no individual Buffalo player has more than four takedowns. Bleacher Report believes that the Bills should look to add to their committee—and potentially acquire a leader—in the form of Azeez Ojulari, a New York Giants defender whom writer Kristopher Knox believes could be on the move due to the stout recent play of Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns.

“The Bills could also be interested,” Knox wrote. “While their defense has recorded 19 sacks through seven games, A.J. Epenesa leads the team with only four. Buffalo's play for [Amari] Cooper also shows that the franchise is going all-in on the 2024 campaign, and it may not be finished. The Bills are buyers, and they have a connection with the Giants. Head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen were both with Buffalo before taking over New York's front office in 2022. If Ojulari can be acquired, the Bills might be the first ones to know."

A 24-year-old who was a second-round pick of the Giants in 2021, Ojulari wouldn’t just be a player Buffalo could utilize for the remainder of the 2024 season—he could be a potential building block. The fourth-year defender, who has tallied 20 sacks through 42 career games, has notched four quarterback takedowns this season while largely playing in a rotational role. He’s recorded 15 total pressures this season, per PFF, a total only one Buffalo player (Greg Rousseau) has surpassed thus far.

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In the final year of his rookie deal with a base salary of just $1.5 million, the cash-strapped Bills could stomach Ojulari’s deal, and as Knox notes, there’s a rapport between the Buffalo and New York front offices. Von Miller will soon be returning from his four-game suspension, which should, in theory, give the team’s pass-rush a boost; that said, the idea of the Bills having a defensive end rotation that boasts Rousseau, Epenesa, Miller, and Ojulari is intriguing. He’d be a low-risk, high-reward type of acquisition; there’s a chance he falls into the rotation and isn’t all that impactful, but there’s also a chance that a change of scenery allows the young defender to achieve his potential and earn a second contract in Orchard Park.

It’d be difficult to imagine the Giants asking for anything more than a draft pick for Ojulari’s services, and the Bills are slated to have 10 in the 2025 NFL Draft (including seven on day three, though two are projected compensatory selections). For a team that could use some additional help in its pass rush. Buffalo could certainly do worse than Ojulari.

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