Giants taking it day by day with Azeez Ojulari and his injured ankle
Azeez Ojulari #51 and Jason Pinnock #27 of the New York Giants react after a defensive stop late during the fourth quarter against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Giants haven’t seen nearly enough of their top four pass rushers on the field together this season.
On Saturday in Minnesota, second-year outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari left the game after sacking Kirk Cousins in the second quarter. He was carted to the locker room.
After the game, Ojulari indicated his ankle “got rolled up on” and said X-rays showed no structural damage. He sounded optimistic that he would be back on the field soon.
Coach Brian Daboll had an update on Monday.
“I think Azeez has gotten treatment the last couple days,” Daboll said. “We’ll see where he’s at tomorrow, the next day, all the way through Friday. And we’ll see if he’s able to go.
“But we really haven’t done anything these last couple of days. So we’ll see. I think he’s improved from where he was. And we’ll go [practice] here these next couple days and see where he’s at.”
Despite missing six games this season because of injuries, Ojulari (5 1⁄2 sacks) is behind only Dexter Lawrence (6 1⁄2) for the team lead.
It’s likely that no one misses Ojulari’s presence more than defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, an aggressive play-caller who loves to unleash his rushers, both with numbers and creativity of scheme.
Other injured defenders
The Giants’ defense, and particularly its secondary, has missed safety Xavier McKinney and cornerback Adoree’ Jackson.
“I think Adoree’s making progress in the right direction. Again, where that is, I think we’ll see by the end of the week,” Daboll said. “And we’ll go here these next couple days and see where he’s at.”
The update on McKinney didn’t sound as promising. He remains on the NFI list.
With regard to McKinney, Daboll said: “I don’t have enough to give to you.”
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
