The latest news from around the division.
Pass rusher Azeez Ojulari becomes latest Giants player to sign with Eagles – Nick Shook, NFL.com
Another former Giant finds his way to Philadelphia in free agency.
The New York-to-Philadelphia pipeline remains strong.
The Eagles signed former Giants edge rusher Azeez Ojulari to a one-year deal, the team announced Monday.
Ojulari is the latest Giants player to head to the Eagles, joining linebacker Patrick Johnson and cornerback Adoree’ Jackson this offseason and following last year’s mega signing of running back Saquon Barkley.
Philadelphia is buying low on Ojulari, adding a player with experience to a defensive front that watched Josh Sweat and Milton Williams leave for Arizona and New England, respectively, in free agency. With little risk associated for Philly, Ojulari arrives to the Eagles with minimal pressure and a chance to contribute as a rotational edge rusher with relative upside.
A 2021 second-round pick, Ojulari peaked as a rookie, recording eight sacks in his first season and a career-best 49 tackles. 2021 was his only double-digit season in starts, and two stints on injured reserve between 2022 and 2023 hampered his development. He played 58% of defensive snaps in 2024, but started just five games (11 total appearances) as his role diminished following the Giants’ trade for Brian Burns.
When healthy and given a chance, Ojulari still shows flashes of being a potential difference-making rusher. He finished with six sacks last season, but didn’t see enough action to truly produce at a rate worth retaining for Big Blue.
Paulson Adebo, Jevón Holland are ingredients in ‘recipe for excellence’ – Dan Salomone, Giants.com
The defensive side of the ball seems to be improving for New York.
It’s the question on everyone’s mind, but Jevón Holland didn’t ask it.
“My job as a defender is to give the ball back to the quarterback,” the former Dolphins safety said in his first interview since signing with the Giants.
Paulson Adebo, a cornerback who spent his first four seasons in New Orleans, didn’t make it a prerequisite either. He is more concerned with keeping his eyes on the opposing quarterback.
“I just got here, figuring out how I can help the team,” he said. “And then I’ll let whoever has to make those decisions handle those. But I’m excited and confident that we’ll make a good decision.”
In the meantime, the two defensive backs from the south came up north to join forces in a revamped secondary.
While the Giants led the league in sacks for a good portion of last season, it went through an 11-game drought without an interception. The unit closed with three in the final three weeks, but their five total interceptions were 31st in the league. Their 60 passes defensed were tied for 25th.
The team is looking to turn things around in 2025.
Brian Daboll hired a new secondary coach/pass game coordinator (Marquand Manuel) and cornerbacks coach (Jeff Burris) to serve under coordinator Shane Bowen, who enters his second season with the Giants. Adebo and Holland are here to help.
Adebo, a third-round pick out of Oregon, has started 51 of 52 games in four seasons. His career numbers include 251 total tackles, 43 passes defensed, 10 interceptions, seven tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
“I feel like I can play man or zone,” Adebo said. “In New Orleans we did play a lot of man, bump-and-run coverage. But I feel comfortable playing in a zone scheme. Did that in college a lot. I really feel good either way.”
Laremy Tunsil Explains Why Texans Traded Him to Commanders – Liam McKeone, Sports Illustrated
The Pro Bowl tackle knew the business side of the NFL was cause for his trade.
The Houston Texans’ decision to trade veteran Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders constituted one of the most surprising moves of the 2025 NFL offseason.
Tunsil had a difficult season in 2024 and was flagged for penalties 19 times, but Houston had a big problem protecting C.J. Stroud across the board. Still, it’s hard enough to find good offensive linemen in today’s NFL that it is rare to see a team trade a five-time Pro Bowler, especially one at left tackle, arguably the most important position on any offense other than quarterback.
On Monday, Tunsil spoke to media as a member of the Commanders for the first time and explained the reasoning behind the trade, as told to him by the Texans.
Per The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala, Tunsil said the Texans informed him they were trying to keep their young core of linemen together. “It’s a young man’s game, and I’ve seen it for myself,” Tunsil said.
The implication there is that Tunsil’s contract would make it difficult to keep that young core together. The left tackle has two years remaining on his three-year, $75 million extension he signed in 2023. His cap hit for 2025 will be over $20 million. It’s a lot of money to allocate to one player and Houston seems to have decided the organization is better off using that money elsewhere.
