New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll can’t catch a break right now. Every decision they make seemingly blows up in their faces, and the team’s Week 13 injury news is just the latest example of that.
“The Giants are placing pass-rusher Azeez Ojulari on Injured Reserve because of his toe injury, source said,” NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport relayed on November 26. “No surgery is required and not major, but the injury will take a few weeks to heal.”
Rapoport added that “the team will exercise caution, as Ojulari remains in a boot while the ailment heals.”
Of course, Ojulari’s presence on the roster is another sore subject to some, being that the Giants could have potentially gotten something for him at the 2024 trade deadline.
“Giants’ Azeez Ojulari headed to IR for the 3rd straight season,” New York Post reporter Ryan Dunleavy reiterated, reacting to Rapoport’s post.
“[Ojulari] had a good 4-game run while Kayvon Thibodeaux was out,” Dunleavy went on, adding: “This was the risk in not trading Ojulari and his injury history at the deadline.”
The Giants claimed a new offensive playmaker in Ojulari’s place.
Giants May Have Bungled Another Trade Deadline Under Joe Schoen & Brian Daboll
Although the criticism is not overt, Dunleavy can’t help but take a subtle shot at Schoen and Daboll here — and he’s not necessarily wrong.
Ahead of the trade deadline, Ojulari was widely viewed as a candidate to walk in free agency. He plays a premium position and he’s having a career resurgence at the right time with 6.0 sacks and 7 tackles for a loss in 2024.
The Giants have also invested in Brian Burns and Thibodeaux at edge rusher, leaving very little room to spend big on Ojulari.
Despite all that, Schoen and Daboll chose not to deal the pass rusher at the deadline. “With multiple teams poking around the pending free agent, Joe Schoen and co. are evaluating all offers,” NFL insider Dianna Russini (The Athletic) reported at the time. She added that “I’m told NYG wants THEIR price.”
In the end, Schoen’s price must have been too high, as no team met their demands. And now — after the injury news — the G-Men have lost the only major benefit of keeping Ojulari.
Assuming he leaves in free agency as expected, this regime will be left hoping they get a 2026 comp pick back in return for Ojulari. Of course, there’s no guarantee Schoen and Daboll even make it to 2026.
NFL Analyst Urged Giants to Try & Extend Azeez Ojulari Before Injury News
It’s worth noting that this advice came on November 25, before the IR designation, but Bleacher Report writer Kris Knox urged the Giants to try and extend Ojulari at the start of Week 13. And maybe they still should.
“The benching of Jones brought New York’s remaining 2024 goals into focus,” Knox reasoned. “The Giants know they can’t get into the playoff picture, and they’re playing for 2025 and beyond.”
With that in mind, Knox believes an early Ojulari extension makes sense after the franchise thought the pass rusher was worth keeping at the deadline. For starters, it would make their trade decision seem a little less stubborn, but perhaps they might also secure Ojulari at a reasonable salary considering he’s suffered another injury.
“New York would be wise to make Ojulari an offer now,” Knox continued. “Waiting until the offseason has cost them in the past. It’s why New York never got a long-term deal done with Saquon Barkley and why the Giants eventually panicked enough to give Jones a lucrative extension he had never earned.”
To be honest, extending an injured player feels highly unlikely, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility since Ojulari’s toe issue seems minor. If the Giants want to bring him back, this might be the opportune time to strike.
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Reporter Takes Subtle Shot at Giants After Injury News: ‘This Was the Risk’