Getty Giants LB Azeez Ojulari will start training camp on the NFI list.
The New York Giants announced official injury designations for four different players on Tuesday.
While wide receiver Sterling Shepard (Achilles tendon), center Nick Gates (leg) and offensive tackle Matt Peart (knee) were all placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list (NFI) list with a hamstring injury.
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Here’s the official announcement, via Giants.com managing editor Dan Salomone on Twitter:
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WR Sterling Shepard, C Nick Gates, OT Matt Peart – placed on physically unable to perform (PUP) list
LB Azeez Ojulari – placed on non-football injury (NFI) list
Rookie tight end Daniel Bellinger also remains on the PUP list after his designation was announced last week.
Shepard, Gates and Peart are all recovering from season-ending injuries that were suffered on the field last year. That is why they’re eligible for the PUP list.
Ojulari, on the other hand, landed on the NFI list because his injury reportedly occurred away from the team facilities. Players who get injured in accidents or while working out privately are not eligible to be placed on the PUP list.
According to Dan Duggan of The Athletic, Ojulari “tweaked” his hamstring while training last week.
Azeez Ojulari tweaked his hamstring training last week, which is why he landed on NFI to open camp, per source. It’s not considered a serious injury, but obviously going to be cautious with a hamstring this far from the opener.
Ojulari and the four players on PUP are eligible to be activated at any time before the season, according to Giants.com.
Ojulari, 22, was a second-round pick out of Georgia in last year’s NFL Draft. He had a very solid rookie season, finishing with a team-leading eight sacks in 17 games played (13 starts). Now with the addition of first-round rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux on the opposite edge, expectations for Ojulari in Year 2 are on the rise.
NFL.com recently identified Ojulari as a potential first-time Pro Bowler in 2022.
The Good News About Ojulari’s Injury Designation
Ojulari’s hamstring injury is not considered serious, according to Duggan’s report, and the Giants have experience dealing with issues like this. Art Stapleton of The Record pointed out on Twitter that defensive lineman Leonard Williams started training camp on the NFI list with a similar injury in 2020 and made a speedy return.
Williams did not miss any time during the regular season after being placed on the NFI list in 2020. He played in all 16 games (12 starts) and even recorded a career-high 11.5 sacks that season.
The new regime under head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen appears to be taking a very cautious approach to offseason injuries. As a result, Ojulari and others with injury designations should be fully healthy when they’re needed most.
Key Giants Who Avoided Injury Designations
In addition to the Ojulari surprise, there were a few key players that didn’t receive injury designations to start training camp — namely offensive tackle Andrew Thomas, linebackers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Blake Martinez, and wide receivers Kadarius Toney and Kenny Golladay.
The good news:
Kayvon Thibodeaux, Andrew Thomas, Kadarius Toney, Kenny Golladay and Blake Martinez avoid injury list and are set to go #Giants
Martinez tore his ACL last September. Thomas (ankle) and Toney (knee) both had offseason surgery, while Thibodeaux and Golladay were both a little banged up during early offseason workouts this spring.
All five of these players project to be starters/key contributors, so the fact that they’re all able to hit the ground running at training camp is a positive development.