Giants' Azeez Ojulari returns to field excited to pair with Kayvon Thibodeaux
Giants LB Azeez Ojulari practices during Training Camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, NJ on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022. Credit: James Escher
The Giants have spent the first few weeks of training camp enjoying the sight of their young bookend offensive tackles, Andrew Thomas and rookie Evan Neal. On Sunday they got their first look this summer at what they hope will be the defensive equivalent.
Linebacker Azeez Ojulari had his first practice after starting camp on the non-football injury list, lining up for the first time with rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux. Ojulari showed up to the team with a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined since late July, but on Sunday he passed his physical and took his place with the starting defense.
“It feels good to be back with the team doing what I do best, what I love to do,” Ojulari said.
Last year, Ojulari set the team record for sacks by a rookie with eight. It set the bar Thibodeaux will try to clear during his rookie campaign. Ojulari said he won’t mind if Thibodeaux breaks his record. The better Thibodeaux does, Ojulari figures, the better it will be for himself.
“We are going to play hard no matter what, try to dominate and just be us,” Ojulari said. “[Thibodeaux] comes in every day and competes and works hard. Tries to push everyone. Just gets better every day. A head-down guy . . . We’ve got that same energy, same motor. We’re definitely going to push each other and feed off of each other’s energy and just get after people.”
Ojulari’s return came just in time for an outside linebacker group that saw two of its members walk off the field with the medical staff during Sunday’s practice. Elerson Smith had what appeared to be a right ankle injury and Jihad Ward, who had been with the starters in the place Ojulari figures to play, went to the training room with him.
That took a little of the joy from Ojulari’s return, especially because unlike their offensive tackle duo, the Giants will need to rotate at outside linebacker and have other players replace Thibodeaux and Ojulari from time to time.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
