What Can LB Bobby Okereke Bring to Giants Defense?

What does the New York Giants' newest linebacker bring to the defense? Brandon Olsen takes a look.

While the first day of the legal tampering period wasn’t the most exciting for the New York Giants, general manager Joe Schoen did manage to bring in one of the best linebackers in free agency, former Colts Bobby Okereke, on a four-year, $40 million deal with $22 million guaranteed.

Okereke has recently made a name for himself as one of the best run-defending linebackers in the NFL and is overlooked as a coverage linebacker. Since his days manning the middle at Stanford, Okereke has consistently shown the ability to use his athleticism in coverage while improving his coverage IQ.

Throughout his career, Okereke has been used in zone-heavy systems run under now Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus and current Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, who are cover three-heavy coaches. Fortunately, Okereke has experience playing man coverage, but 2023 will likely see him play more in man coverage than he ever has.

Okereke led the Colts linebackers with at least 70 pass targets with a 103 rating--good but not great. He was also second among the four-member group in forced incompletions and pass breakups and was targeted the most in coverage (93). This doesn't mean that Okereke is a liability in coverage--if anyone can keep up with the opposing tight ends the Giants regularly face in the division, he probably can.

.@giants @BobbyOkereke finally…Finally the G-Men have a MIKE LBer . It’s a decade or more…but Okereke never comes off the field. Easy to see why he is a priority signing. #nfl #freeagency. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/6ZlNM6BZmp

— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) March 15, 2023

But the Giants needed speed amongst their linebacker corps, and Okereke, who has good sideline-to-sideline speed and takes smart angles, will certainly help stop the gouging opposing teams did to the Giants last year along the sidelines.

Perhaps the biggest change for Okereke will be his usage as a pass-rusher. Through his first four seasons in the NFL, Okereke has just 23 pressures - 15 of which came in 2021. This is not to say he can’t rush the passer, as he’s only been asked to do it on 138 total snaps through those four years. That’s not surprising, considering how important it’s been in Colts defenses to have linebackers in coverage.

In 2021, Okereke rushed the passer more frequently than ever, rushing on 8.8% of his pass-defense snaps. As previously mentioned, he had a career-high 15 pressures in that season. Okereke has generated pressure on 16.7% of his pass-rushing opportunities in his career.

With his athletic makeup, Okereke should have no issues adjusting to the defensive scheme. The Giants should be commended for going out and adding talented football players to the roster. The NFL is a talent acquisition business, and the Giants have worked to acquire talent.

Even if there are some questions (by me) about Okereke’s fit in Martindale’s defensive system historically, it’s also entirely possible that bringing in Okereke was to help transition the Giants to a more modern defensive style and that he, too, will evolve into one of the many positionless players that Martindale prefers.

---

 

• Get the latest breaking news and analysis on the New York Giants
• Follow and like us on Facebook
• Submit your questions for our mailbag
• Check out the Giants Country YouTube Channel.
• Subscribe and like the LockedOn Giants YouTube Channel
• Sign up for our FREE message board forums
• Get your Giants tickets from SI Tickets!