Azeez Ojulari is happy to join the ‘brotherhood’ of Georgia players on the Eagles defense
The 24-year-old edge rusher, formerly with the Giants, has other links to the Philadelphia area. He has struggled to remain healthy over the last three seasons, though.
Signing with the Eagles will bring Azeez Ojulari closer to both his actual family members and the brothers he picked up during his years at Georgia.
The 24-year-old edge rusher arrived at the NovaCare Complex on Wednesday and explained the multiple levels of familiarity he has with his new city during an introductory video conference with reporters. Ojulari said his parents met in Philadelphia after immigrating from Nigeria, and his sister was born in the area. And while his family eventually settled in Marietta, Ga., by the time he was born, he still has some relatives living in Philadelphia.
Ojulari has plenty of figurative family here, too. The former New York Giants edge rusher will become the seventh member of the 2020 Georgia defense now with the Eagles, reuniting with Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Kelee Ringo, and Lewis Cine.
“Having that chemistry and that brotherhood from those guys before,” Ojulari said, “it’s just amazing to come back here and keep it going on. It’s just amazing to have those guys again.”
After signing a one-year deal reportedly worth $4 million, Ojulari joins the Eagles with a chance to once again rush in tandem with Smith, Davis, and Carter. The 2021 second-round pick could earn a significant role in the team’s edge rusher rotation, which has lost Josh Sweat to free agency and Brandon Graham to retirement this offseason.
Ojulari was noncommittal Wednesday when asked what role he envisions himself filling for the Eagles defensive front, saying instead that he’s eager to compete.
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“I’m just ready to work,” Ojulari said. “I’m ready to come in, compete, whatever it is. I’m a hard worker, and I’m ready to keep learning and ready to improve, whatever it is to help the team win.”
To do so, Ojulari will need to stay healthy. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound rusher missed time with the Giants in each of the last three seasons because of a litany of lower-body injuries, appearing in just 29 of a possible 51 games during that stretch. He’s coming off a 2024 season in which he logged six sacks and seven tackles for losses in 11 games, playing 58% of the Giants’ defensive snaps.
His best year came as a rookie, when he appeared in 17 games, started 13, and recorded a career-high eight sacks, 42 pressures according to Pro Football Focus, and 49 total tackles.
“I’ve been having ups and downs with injuries, and I’m trying to put that behind me this year,” Ojulari said. “I’m continuing to do everything I can to stay on the field and be 100% healthy, whatever it is. I’m just trying to focus one day at a time and keep attacking that every single day to prove myself and know I can be out there for all 17 games and do whatever I can to stay out there for the long run.”
Ojulari’s fit in Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s system will be worth monitoring. The Giants used him as a designated pass rusher at times during his career, and, according to PFF, Ojulari had nine missed tackles last season.
Fangio deployed his edge rushers in pass coverage at times last year as well, something Ojulari has done sparingly. He had just six coverage snaps last year and 24 the season before.
“I feel like I’m a versatile player,” Ojulari said. “I’m a physical guy. I don’t shy away from no type of contact. I’m an attack-first type mentality guy. I can set the edge, I can tackle, I can rush the passer, I can defend. I feel like I can do it all.”
Ojulari figures to lean on Smith to ease his transition into his new environment. The two became close during their time sharing a position room in college, Ojulari said, making their bond stand out among the group.
“Nolan, that’s my brother for real,” Ojulari said. “All of them are really my brothers, but Nolan, since we’ll be in the same room and we’ve been in the same room since Georgia, too, so I’m probably more close to him. But I’m still close with all of them. We all share that brotherhood.”