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All eyes were on Tremaine Edmunds this offseason, as the former Bill was the coveted linebacker free agent on the market. The signs pointed to him joining the Big Blue, but ultimately got snagged by the Bears on a four year, $72 million dollar deal.
Unfortunate, but in Joe Schoen we trust. The Giants have money to spend, but needed to address the internal guys first, and focus on building in the draft. Dave Gettleman absolutely tanked this team financially, so it will take some time to get where we need to be.
But that didn't stop the Giants brass from upgrading. The Giants made a multitude of small moves (which I'll cover in a separate blog), but the big splash of the first day was former Colts linebacker, Bobby Okereke.
From what I've seen, he is a ball hawk, and it's giving Blake Martinez vibes, which is awesome. NFL and Colts Twitter had some pretty nice things to say about Bobby.
Next Gen Stats has sold me on the young linebacker.
Okereke had 151 Tackles in 16 games this year, and 132 the year prior. Had a 72.9 grade ranking 23rd at the position.
Okereke generated 75 defensive stops in 2022, tied for 10th-most among LB. The Giants linebackers combined for 87 defensive stops last season, 19 fewer than any other defense.
Okereke held his own in coverage, allowing -2.3 receptions over expected and 5.9 yards/target.
4 years 40M, $22M guaranteed. This is a steal of a contract for a player like this.
When you break it down even further, if you look at per game metrics, Okereke is right there with Edmunds, and at half the cost.
He is the perfect complimentary piece alongside Kayvon, Leonard Williams, and Dex. Not to mention Darrian Beavers, who looked great in the preseason before injury. Under Wink's defensive scheme, Okereke is going to shine in the Big Apple.