New York Giants Training Camp Position Preview: Outside Linebackers

Can Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari take the next step to become two of the top edge rushers in the league?

We're taking an in-depth look at the New York Giants position groups before the start of training camp--the battles, the players, the questions, and more.

Here is our look at the outside linebackers.

Kayvon Thibodeaux / John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Rostered Players

Habakkuk Baldonado, Tomon Fox, Azeez Ojulari,  Kayvon Thibodeaux, Jihad Ward, Oshane Ximines, Tashawn Bower

Position Group Overview

Since trading Jason Pierre-Paul, the New York Giants seemed to have lost pass rushing edge that championed them to their two most recent Super Bowl titles. Despite influxes of players and changes at the coaching helm, the franchise couldn’t muster up any dominance at the line of scrimmage, and the result was bottom barrel pass and run rush rankings in four of the past five seasons.

Last fall, with the hiring of defensive coordinator Wink Martindale and the addition of pieces like rookie outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux, the tides quickly took a turn, and the Giants’ defense became an improved unit that pestered the opposing backfield every Sunday. In the blitz-heavy system, the Giants rose to 25th in the NFL in yards allowed, forced the second-most fumbles, and cut their opponents' scoring and average time of possession significantly.

While it was a collective effort throughout the season to make the big plays, much of the credit had to be given to the guys' efforts in the outside linebacker position. Spearheaded by Thibodeaux and second-year teammate Azeez Ojulari, the group became a strength within the Giants defense by setting the tone early and often via the pass rush and compiling a nice chunk of the team’s sacks and turnover metrics in 2022.

Whether it was chasing down the opposing ball carrier from the other side of the field, stripping the ball and returning it for a touchdown, or making the big-time hit to shut down a drive’s momentum, there were memorable plays made by the outside linebackers that carried the Giants to big wins and helped define their surprising campaign. If injuries stay away in 2023, the good news is that they’ll be running it back with the same squad holding higher expectations.

Along with their two lead dogs in Thibodeaux and Ojulari, whose presence will be eagerly welcomed back after he played in just seven games last year, the Giants are bringing back a party of outside linebackers consisting of Jihad Ward, Tomon Fox, Oshane Ximines, undrafted rookie free agent Habakkuk Baldonado, and Tashawn Bower to compete for depth spots this summer.

It remains to be seen whether the edge rushers will beat their overall production from last year (157 tackles, 15.5 sacks, 22 tackles for loss, and eight forced fumbles with two recovered), but all signs point to the outside linebackers remaining a mild strength from the top down.

Thibodeaux will bring the ability to get around the edge fast with an arsenal of swim moves and make the initial hit that creates chaos on a loose ball. Ojulari may whiff on a few plays when dropping into coverage but can be that aggressive tackler in the interior to shut down the run before it gets far beyond the line of scrimmage. The hope for the rest of the crew is they round their skills into better shape to give the Giants more quality reps when their name is called in relief of the starters.

Even though they’re set to boast a much stronger offense in 2023, what will set the Giants apart is the success of their defense in thwarting opposing attacks from the jump. With these players lining up on the edge, it could be an abundant feast once the pigskin goes live.

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OTHER POSITION GROUPS

Running Backs | Tight Ends | Wide Receivers | Offensive Line | Quarterbacks | Defensive Line | Inside Linebacker

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Biggest Question Mark

Can Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari take the next steps in year two to become two of the top edge rushers in the league?

The New York Giants were ecstatic to land a top-tier edge prospect like Kayvon Thibodeaux for their roster. In pairing him with promising teammate Azeez Ojulari, the duo was expected to juice the team’s pass rush and bring back the pressure that used to terrorize opposing quarterbacks when facing the Giants defense.

For most of the season, particularly down the stretch toward the postseason, that’s exactly what they did. Confusing offensive linemen from the jump with their array of blitzes and swim moves, Thibodeaux and Ojulari racked up 9.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss, six deflected passes, and five forced fumbles, including one returned for a touchdown.

Even when they didn’t get their hands on the ball carrier, the young bulls ensured that life was hell behind the line of scrimmage until the rest of the defense could do its job.

Falling back into the coverage wasn’t much of an issue either, as nobody forgets the come-from-behind tackle Thibodeaux made in Week 15 against Washington’s Taylor Heinicke to save a touchdown.

Yet, for two players central to the Giants’ defensive success, tackling production past the front lines could improve in 2023. Despite finishing fifth in the team leaderboards, Thibodeaux notched 49 tackles and held a missed tackle rate of 8.5 percent.

Ojulari’s total was much lower at 14 tackles and a 22.5 percent missed tackle rate for second worst in the position, but much of that was due to missing 11 games for injury.

It would be even more significant if the pair could also figure out how to become more involved in the run defense. They were held to 340 run defense snaps last season, but the extra impact can take pressure off the inside linebackers if opposing rushers break the first line in search of big yardage.

There’s also the issue of penalties that tends to plague the outside linebacker position. Ojulari has been fairly clean in his first two years. However, Thibodeaux’s physicality got the best of him on some occasions. Still, a player of his caliber draws a lot of extra attention from the offensive line, and its goal is to figure out how to get them more penalized on the other end.

Thus, the big question mark for this position is whether its stars can elevate their game and production to the level of the best edge defenders in the entire league. With extra experience against NFL talent on the horizon, it’s reasonable to believe Thibodeaux and Ojulari will figure out what works best for them and achieve that scary dominance Big Blue has always envisioned on the weekly gridiron.

Key Training Camp Battle to Watch

The Battle for Depth Spots

Once Thibodeaux and Ojulari fill the two starting roles, the only thing left to see is how the depth spots pan out for the outside linebacker position.

As mentioned, the Giants will have a mix of Ward, Fox, Ximines, Bower, and Baldonado competing to make the active roster in training camp. Three from that group should earn these spots when final decisions are made, but each candidate must first address some weaknesses.

Due to his significance in the locker room, ties with Wink Martindale, and physical style of play, Ward will likely be the first name to earn his place on the 2023 roster. Yet, despite his tackling seeing improvement and his total snaps reaching a career-high with New York, there is still room to grow in the efficiency of his pass rush, run defense, and the pressures he puts on the quarterback for it to match his presence on the field.

Last fall, the 29-year-old posted 657 total snaps, including 348 attacking the pocket in the pass rush, but he yielded only 23 total pressures for the second time in his career.

The same could be said for Fox, a second-year player who left a favorable impression on the Giants last summer to make the squad as an undrafted free agent. He posted 24 tackles and a sack in limited snaps, some of which came late in 2022 to help the Giants in their postseason chase, but that came with a 52.1 grade or worse in pressure and coverage categories, an 18.5 percent missed tackle rate, and 10.8 average yards allowed in the open field.

Given he can be inserted into different parts of the field beside the edge and has had work on the special teams unit, Fox could have plenty of opportunities to close the gaps and develop his skills against NFL competition. If he does this in camp and makes the team, it could translate to the regular season, and we could see his manacing production from college rear its head once again.

In the end, the Giants will likely gloss over any occasional technical woes by Ximines and retain him for the upcoming season due to his experience, reliability, and potential for growth in his tackling production. Smith-who saw just 4% of his snaps on defense in 2022–could see the ax if the team doesn’t elect to keep him for special teams and send Baldonado to the practice squad spot to develop his professional acumen.

Training Camp Position Grade: B

Beyond their most talented guys in Thibodeaux and Ojulari, what makes the Giants’ outside linebacker room a mild strength entering training camp and the 2023 season is the quality of their depth players. The pieces competing to back up their teammates aren’t world-beaters at their position, and it could force the coaching staff to make their selections based on minuscule skill differences.

Injuries are a concern with the depth players at this time. All eyes wait to see if Ojulari can remain healthy in what hopes to be a bounce-back year for the promising linebacker. Still, the rest of the group will feature guys who have missed noticeable time or lacked high-volume snaps in their careers. One factor could make up for the other if they’re needed to play, but it’s still a concern that will linger with the position throughout the 2023 season.

Early 53-Man Roster Projection

• Starter: Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari
• Backups: Jihad Ward, Tomon Fox, Oshane Ximines
• Practice Squad: Habakkuk Baldonado
• Cut: Tashawn Bower

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