Pros and Cons of Lions Trading For Azeez Ojulari

The Detroit Lions have been evaluating their options as far as making a potential trade to add help to a depleted pass rush.

With both starting defensive ends, Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport, out with season-ending injuries, there is a pressing need for the Lions’ defense in that area. Head coach Dan Campbell admitted during his weekly radio interview that he has been asked to evaluate options by general manager Brad Holmes.

One name who has been the subject of trade rumors is New York Giants linebacker Azeez Ojulari. The Giants have started 2-5 and could be a team looking to sell ahead of the Nov. 5 trade deadline.

Ojulari is an interesting potential addition for the Lions‘ roster. He’s more of an outside linebacker than a traditional edge rusher, and would be a candidate to fill the SAM linebacker void left by Derrick Barnes’ season-ending injury.

Since Barnes went down in Week 3, the Lions have looked to Malcolm Rodriguez, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Ben Niemann and Trevor Nowaske to play bigger roles within the scheme. Rodriguez has been a stack linebacker, while Nowaske has emerged lately as an option to take over at SAM.

While Ojulari plays a different role than a prototypical edge rusher, he still has plenty of pass rush juice. He has four sacks on the season and 20 in his four-year career. His best season came as a rookie in 2021, when he had eight sacks.

Each of his last two seasons have been hampered by injuries, as he played in seven games in 2022 and 11 in 2023. He has played in each of the Giants’ seven games up to this point.

Should the Lions make this move, they would be inheriting what’s left on the final year of Ojulari’s rookie contract. As a second-round pick in 2021, he does not carry a fifth-year option.

In taking on a rental player, the cost of a trade would be less than that of dealing for an established star with multiple years of team control. On that same token, he wouldn’t have necessarily the same impact of a player of higher caliber.

Ultimately, Campbell has said the Lions are looking to add a complimentary piece. Ojulari fits this bill. However, if the Lions feel better about their current options at the SAM position, they may feel less inclined to trade for him.

Nowaske has impressed in recent appearances, as he has notched a sack in each of the last two games. While still unproven, the 2023 undrafted free agent has shown signs of being a nice piece for the linebacker room.

Ojulari presents an interesting solution to Detroit’s pass rush problems. As a rental, there would be little harm done in bringing him in essentially on a tryout basis. However, this decision would ultimately come down to how the Lions feel about their depth in his role.