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The 2024 NFL trade deadline is upon us, and we've already seen quite a few big deals go down in the buildup to the deadline. While some key defensive linemen such as Baron Browning and Za'Darius Smith have already been moved, one of the top players left available on the trade market is pass rusher Azeez Ojulari of the New York Giants.
Ojulari has enjoyed a resurgent campaign with the Giants so far, as he's racked up 26 tackles and six sacks through nine games of action. However, he's in the final year of his rookie contract, and he could be in line for a big payday if he keeps on producing at this rate. With that in mind, New York appears to be open to trading their talented edge rusher at the very least.
We've already seen Browning land with the Arizona Cardinals and Smith land with the Detroit Lions, which takes two of Ojulari's presumed suitors out of the running for him. So with that in mind, let's take a look at the best landing spot for Ojulari should the Giants decide to deal him ahead of the trade deadline.
Azeez Ojulari's best trade destination: Atlanta Falcons
Ojulari's main strength on the football field is pass rushing, so team's that need help pressuring the quarterback are going to be in the market for him. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise, then, that the team with the fewest sacks in the NFL so far is the team that makes the most sense for Ojulari to land with if he gets dealt.
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That team happens to be the Atlanta Falcons, who have managed to rack up just nine sacks as a team through nine games this season. Grady Jarrett is the only player with more than two sacks on their roster, and despite their efforts to address this spot before the season by trading for Matthew Judon, it hasn't worked out to this point.
Adding Ojulari, who's six sacks would easily pace this team, into the equation could be precisely what the Falcons need to unlock their pass rush. Jarrett and Judon are effective pass rushers, but at 31 and 32 years old, respectively, they need an injection of youth alongside them. That's precisely what Ojulari could offer Atlanta if they swung a deal for him.
Having to make another trade along the defensive line certainly wouldn't be ideal for the Falcons considering their aforementioned trade for Judon, but this is easily the biggest weakness on their roster. Their offense is continuing to get more and more comfortable with Kirk Cousins leading the way, and their secondary is one of the best in the league.
The Lions gave up a fifth and a sixth round pick in the 2024 draft in order to get Smith and a seventh round pick back from the Cleveland Browns, so Ojulari will likely cost a bit more than that given he's younger than Smith by a few years. A late fifth round and sixth round pick may be enough to get the Giants to bite, or even an early fifth-rounder could be all it takes to get the job done.
Atlanta's need for pass rushing is clear, and with Browning and Smith already off the table, they may have to make an aggressive push to land Ojulari from the Giants with options to dwindle. The Falcons have a lot of good momentum working for them currently, and they would be wise to capitalize on it by going out and swinging a deal for Ojulari.
