At 6-2, the Green Bay Packers enter into a pivotal Week 9 matchup against the Detroit Lions which will give one of the teams possession of first place in the NFC North.
Of course, one of the main concerns this week is the health of quarterback Jordan Love, who may or may not play in this one. Without Love, the game is drastically different and the Packers will need to lean heavily on their defense while going up against a potent Detroit offense that put up 52 points in Week 8.
Speaking of that defense, Green Bay's pass rush is one area they've been looking at potentially improving before the coming trade deadline next Tuesday. The Packers may have a modest 21 sacks on the year, but not one player has more than 3.0 total. They've had a tough time getting significant pressure on quarterbacks and may be looking to add a player to this group.
Funny enough, Preston Smith could be on his way out due to age and the fact that his production has dipped. But, who could the Packers look at obtaining before the deadline passes?
At the moment, there are six days before the deadline comes and goes. It's getting down to crunch time for the front office to make a move, and there could be one perfect candidate for the taking, according to ESPN's Dan Graziano.
In his latest column which covers a multitude of trade topics, Graziano noted that the New York Giants could be looking to part with 24-year-old Azeez Ojulari, who has come on strong especially in the wake of a temporary absence from Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Azeez Ojulari makes far too much sense for the Packers
One particular option for the Packers, if they wanted to address their pass rush, would be to go after fourth-year pro Azeez Ojulari of the New York Giants. This morning, Graziano wrote that he believes the Giants could look to trade Ojulari and gave some insight as to why:
"The 2021 second-round pick is playing out the final season of his rookie contract ... But they've already made heavy investments in edge rushers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux and might not have room in the budget for more edges."
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Because of the investments in both Burns and Thibodeaux, it likely wouldn't take much for the Giants to realize they couldn't give Ojulari what he was looking for if the two sides engaged in extension talks.
"If they were to (hypothetically) engage Ojulari and his agent on extension talks and discover they don't see eye-to-eye on a long-term deal, the Giants could probably get something worthwhile in return," wrote Graziano.
In recent games, Ojulari has shown plenty of juice. He's likely heard the trade rumors and, knowing he's in the final year of his contract, is playing hard to get that second one. If the Packers were able to land him, he'd fit perfectly and might even be a candidate for an extension, becoming part of the long-term outlook in Green Bay.