How Might Giants Defense Change with Azeez Ojulari in Place of Kayvon Thibodeaux?

What do the Giants lose without Kayvon Thibodeaux in the lineup, and how can Azeez Ojulari fill in the gap?

Brandon Olsen | Oct 12, 2024

Sep 22, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke (58) and New York Giants linebacker Azeez Ojulari (51) celebrate after a sack during the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

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New York Giants

The New York Giants will be without edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux as he’s now considered week-to-week with the potential to wind up on injured reserve after undergoing wrist surgery.

In his place will be Azeez Ojulari, who is in a contract year after getting drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Based on the limited snaps we’ve seen from Ojulari so far this season, there will be a clear difference in the production from that spot.

Thibodeaux is more of a boom-or-bust player than Ojulari. Thibodeaux will make more plays as a pass-rusher and has the potential to blow up run plays, but also disappears for stretches at a time.

Ojulari will make fewer pop plays, but he plays with a base that will lose ground less often, and he’s been setting the edge well this season.

I’ve been impressed with Ojulari's reps in run defense this year, even if he’s not the one making the play himself.

Thibodeaux had really found a rhythm in recent weeks, and that presence will be missed as a rusher. Against the Cowboys and Seahawks, Thibodeaux recorded 10 pressures and two sacks.

I wouldn’t expect that kind of production from Ojulari in a game, but I do think that Ojulari offers a trade-off that could be favorable for the Giants.

On limited snaps, Ojulari has looked pretty sound in coverage for an edge defender and could help the Giants open up their creative looks that drop edge defenders. Unfortunately, against the Bengals, there probably won’t be too many run defense snaps for Ojulari to get reps, but he’s looked good there and should win his battles more often than not.

Another area where Ojulari has always impressed and should continue to, which could be impactful against the Bengals, is when he isn’t winning a pass-rush rep, he gets his arms up into throwing lanes.

Joe Burrow tends to get the ball out early, so having defensive linemen get their arms up could force incompletions and batted balls, which Burrow has had happen to him 45 times throughout his career.

Ojulari’s best game this season came against the Browns, specifically when matched up against Dawand Jones, due to Ojulari’s ability to bend around the edge and dip under the hands of taller offensive tackles.

The Bengals have Orlando Brown Jr and Amarius Mims starting at offensive tackle, standing at 6-8 and 6-7, respectively. Ojulari’s bend could cause a problem on the edges, considering the practical height difference when Ojulari drops his shoulder.

This will be Ojulari's first opportunity to prove himself in an expanded role this season and make the case for himself to earn his next contract, be it with the Giatns or somewhere else.

New York Giants receiver Malik Nabers (concussion) will miss his second straight game after his progress made in the protocol was dialed back a bit this week.

“He'll be doing stuff out on the field,” head coach Brian Daboll told the media before Friday’s practice. “More like he was doing the last two days. He won't make it.”

Nabers appeared to be progressing through the protocol as of Wednesday when he was doing work outside on the field with a trainer. However, the team immediately dialed his activity back and he missed his second straight week of practice while still recovering from the blow to the head he took in the Week 4 game against Dallas.

“We're still, obviously, we're making progress but again, that's never anything you want to rush,” Daboll said.

Daboll wouldn’t go into detail regarding any lingering symptoms the receiver is experiencing, While he did acknowledge that Nabers was knocked unconscious for a bit on the hit he took, he declined to go into additional details.

Daboll also declined to say if he had any issues with NAbers showing up at the Travis Scott concert held Wednesday night at MetLife Stadium, but, despite admitting that the receiver didn’t violate any protocol, Daboll’s body language revealed he wasn’t too happy with Nabers’s decision..

In other injury news, Daboll said a decision would be made regarding outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux and injured reserve. Thibodeaux had surgery on his wrist Wednesday morning to repair a fractured scaphoid bone and is “week to week,” per Daboll. However Thibodeaux could miss a minimum of four weeks, depending on how quickly the bone heals.

Punter Jamie Gillan showed up on the Friday injury report, listed with a left hamstring strain, which is to his kicking leg. Gilian is one of three players to receive a “questionable” designation (receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton and running back Devin Singletary being the other two).

The Giants, perhaps having learned their lesson back in Week 2 when they didn’t address adding a kicker to the roster after Graham Gano showed up on the injury report with a groin issue, will more than likely look to add an emergency punter to their 53-man roster, the opening potentially coming if they put Thibodeaux on injured reserve.

Beside potentially losing Gillan’s punting, which was solid, he is the team’s holder on field goal and PATs, which makes his looming inactivity even bigger.

READ MORE ABOUT THE GIANTS' WEEK 6 GAME AGAINST THE BENGALS