The Detroit Lions have lived up to expectations so far this season, with the team sporting a 5-1 record and sitting in first place in the NFC North through six games.
But if the Lions want to fully deliver on their Super Bowl expectations, they must beef up the pass-rush after the team lost both Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport for the rest of the season.
Lions fans no doubt want the team to make a big splash and bring in an elite pass-rusher at the trade deadline, but the chances of that happening aren't good. That will leave Detroit fishing in the second tier of edge rushers.
One player who is in that second tier is New York Giants edge rusher Azeez Ojulari. Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox believes the Lions will be a suitor for the former second-round pick.
For the Giants to deal Ojulari, who is in the final year of his deal, they've got to be out of playoff contention. Right now, New York is on track to be in that position, with head coach Brian Daboll's squad sitting at 2-5 and in last place in the NFC East.
Ojulari has dealt with injury issues during his career but has proven to be an impact pass-rusher when on the field. He tallied eight sacks during his rookie campaign in 2021, and then followed that up with 5.5 sacks in seven games in 2022.
The 2023 season was a down year for Ojulari after he posted just 2.5 sacks in 11 games, but he's on track for a career year in 2024 with four sacks in seven contests. Making that total more impressive is the fact that Ojulari has played just 49% of snaps.
With his status as an impending free agent, Ojulari could end up being a rental, but the Lions should have enough cap space in 2025 to re-sign the 24-year-old if everything works out.
