The first chapter of Eagles edge rusher Azeez Ojulari’s career was mildly disappointing through no fault of his own.
During his four seasons (2021-2024) with the New York Giants, Ojulari’s best moments made him look like a second-round steal — the Giants selected Ojulari with the No. 50 pick of the 2021 NFL Draft — but his nagging injuries (ankle, calf and toe) sidelined him for 22 games in the last three years, limiting his impact.
Ojulari signed a one-year contract with Philadelphia in free agency, beginning a new chapter that could be more promising than his tenure with New York. He only signed for $4 million, indicating that NFL teams were too worried about his injury history to make a long-term investment.
If he stays healthy and plays well this season, Ojulari could earn a bigger deal from the Eagles or another NFL team next offseason. He would be the second Eagles’ defender in the last two years to transform his career after experiencing a rough patch with his old team.
Eagles linebacker Zack Baun, who signed a one-year contract with the team last spring, went from being a backup in his first four years (2020-2023) with the New Orleans Saints to a first-team All-Pro in his first year (2024) with the Eagles. In March, Baun was rewarded with a three-year, $51 million contract extension.
Like Baun — who easily won a starting job during last year’s training camp — Ojulari won’t face much competition from his position group this summer, increasing the likelihood he seizes a significant role.
Philadelphia’s edge rush group, which is arguably the team’s biggest defensive weakest link, will rely on Ojulari to be a starter or a top rotational rusher.
Nolan Smith was a good starter last season, but outside of him, the Eagles don’t have a ton of pass-rush juice.
Second-year player Jalyx Hunt, who amassed five pressures, four hurries, one quarterback hit, and a 0.5 sack in Philadelphia’s Super Bowl LIX victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, has a tremendous ceiling, but he might not be ready to start this year.
Ojulari could split starting reps with Hunt or play slightly less than him. The former Giant took 58% of New York’s defensive snaps the last two years, amassing 8.5 total sacks. Overall, the 24-year-old has finished with 22 career sacks — impressive production for an oft-injured player.
The ex-Georgia star, who joined seven of his former Bulldog teammates on the Eagles’ defense, was on pace to amass double-digit sacks before getting injured in 2022 and in 2024. He also racked up eight sacks during his rookie season in 2021.
If Ojulari plays all 17 games in 2025 or close to it, he could total 10-plus sacks. He is still young enough to put together the best years of his career, however, a few more injuries could push him out of the league.
He needs to experience the injury luck that former Eagles offensive guard Mekhi Becton — another oft-injured player — had last year to help extend his career.
Becton, who spent four seasons with the Jets, missed 33 games for New York due to two separate knee injuries. But he was able to shed the injury label after starting 15 games for Philadelphia’s offensive line in his only year with the team. Then, he earned a contract (two-year, $20 million) from the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason that nearly quadrupled the salary he made last year ($2.75 million).
The Eagles would be thrilled to have Ojulari available for most of the 2025 season, too, making the same type of impact that Becton had in 2024. It could be the last opportunity Ojulari gets to prove that he’s a premier edge rusher in the NFL.
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