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Giants Quickly Replace Azeez Ojulari With New Signing
© Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The New York Giants were reported to want edge rusher Azeez Ojulari back for a second contract, but after hitting the open market, he followed running back Saquon Barkley’s footsteps and signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Losing him for just one year and $4 million is a dent to the Giants’ depth, even after signing hybrid lineman Chauncey Golston. New York has quickly moved onto alternatives behind edge rushers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux.

The Giants announced on Tuesday that they signed edge rusher Victor Dimukeje.

Dimukeje spent the first four years of his career with the Arizona Cardinals, who drafted him in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. From a pure production standpoint, he won’t jump off the statsheet; in fact it may be his chief concern. He has four career sacks to his name – all of which came in 2023.

However, his role and playing time offer some reprieve from his empty box scores. Dimukeje has never played more than 385 defensive snaps in a given season, and when he got that playing time, he found success. Injuries have made consistent playing time difficult to find (much like Ojulari), but there’s reason to believe that there’s potential left to meet.

As a proxy for his film, his Pro Football Focus grade has improved in every season of his NFL career, and he’s capable of being a versatile edge rusher in a way Golston, New York’s other depth edge rusher isn’t.

Rather than moving inside, Dimukeje has found decent performance dropping into coverage on occasion. He won’t be asked to do that very much with defensive coordinator Shane Bowen calling the shots, but it’s a useful tool to have in his back pocket.

Dimukeje is strictly a depth signing, and he fits general manager Joe Schoen’s vision for the bottom of this roster. He’s a special teams standout who joins linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, linebacker Chris Board, and receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette as signings who will play predominantly on special teams.

Schoen has been proactive in building out the lower levels of New York’s roster and improving the special teams unit at the same time. Dimukeje continues that trend, and while the terms are yet to be announced, he’s a signing that should be seen as a win for the Giants.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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