Giants Warned Not to Sign Dolphins Pass Rusher to $15 Million Per Year Deal

Giants urged not to sign Emmanuel Ogbah

Getty Miami Dolphins pass rusher Emmanuel Ogbah.

It would be an understatement to say whoever takes over the general manager reins in East Rutherford will have their work cut out for them.

First on the agenda will of course be handpicking the next head coach, as the Giants seek to overhaul their coaching staff for the third time in a six-year span. Next on the docket will be revamping an underwhelming roster that hasn’t won more than six games in a single season since 2016 — a task easier said than done. While Dave Gettleman was allowed to ride off into the sunset of retirement, remnants of free agency misfires and financial gaffes remain littered throughout the organization.

Despite boasting one of the league’s most talent-deprived rosters, the Giants enter the offseason with the fifth-lowest projected cap space in football. Of course, as teams have readily proven in recent years — including the Giants just last offseason — money can easily be moved around and freed up when need be. Still, it will be pivotal for the next GM to be wise with his money. Even if that means steering clear of tantalizing, yet pricey, free agents that could theoretically boost a position of need.


Giants Urged to ‘Avoid’ Emmanuel Ogbah in Free Agency

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, the Giants need an edge rusher. Yes, they appear to have struck gold with 2021 second-rounder Azeez Ojulari who collected 8.0 sacks as a rookie. However, production opposite Ojulari was vacant this season more times than not. The Giants as a whole amassed only 34.0 sacks on the year (tied for 24th in the NFL) and generated pressure on just 20.1% of snaps — the third-fewest rate in the NFL.

In theory, free agent edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah would seem like the ideal type of signee to quickly bolster Big Blue’s pass rush on the fly. The 28-year-old is coming off back-to-back 9.0 sack seasons and has been a constant disrupter for the Dolphins defense since arriving in Miami in 2020.

Yet, Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay believes making a play for the former second-rounder would be an ill-advised move for the Giants, urging the team to avoid splurging on Ogbah come free agency:

Unfortunately, quality edge-rushers don’t come cheap. The G-Men must be careful not to tie up too much in a player who isn’t guaranteed to make a big impact for the club. Emmanuel Ogbah is one of the few recently productive pass-rushers under the age of 30 set to become a free agent in 2022. While Ogbah had a standout 2021 campaign, his first four years in the league left something to be desired.

A second-round pick by the Browns in 2016, Ogbah never had more than 5.5 sacks in a season until he joined the Dolphins in 2020. He’s since had back-to-back nine-sack campaigns, proving to be a solid schematic fit with the organization. He’s not a surefire pickup, however, and at a price that will likely ring up at over $15 million per season, the Giants may want to look for someone more consistent to help set the edge.

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The Giants Have a Potential Building Block in Ojulari

The Giants may ultimately live to regret skipping out on the opportunity to snag Micah Parsons in the first round of last April’s draft. Even more so due to the fact that he’ll likely be causing mayhem within the division for the next decade. Parsons collected 12.0 sacks for the Cowboys during the regular season, pacing all rookie defenders.

Still, Ojulari has proven to be a nice consolation prize for New York. His 8.0 sacks checked in third among all first-year pass rushers across the league and came just 1.5 sacks short of tying Lawrence Taylor’s unofficial team record for most sacks by a rookie (9.5).

With up-and-coming players such as Ojulari and 22-year-old safety Xavier McKinney at their disposal, the defense has at least two youthful building blocks to help guide the team into the next era of Giants football.

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