The New York Giants and New York Jets conducted a very peaceful joint practice on Thursday but that won’t be the takeaway. Instead, the Giants’ seemingly endless injury woes will again take center stage.
During the final portion of practice, the two teams ran conditioning drills. But the Giants couldn’t quite make it without someone going down.
Edge rusher Azeez Ojulari pulled up lame and was quickly tended to by trainers. Unfortunately for the Giants, it does not appear to be a cramping issue as Ojulari required help getting off the field and into the locker room.
Ojulari needs help limping off the field https://t.co/3LMADCTbT8 pic.twitter.com/nDc3TZhPKq
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) August 25, 2022
The good news is that early testing seems to suggest it won’t be a long-term injury.
Doesn’t sound like Ojulari lower leg injury is as bad as it may have looked coming off the field. I’m sure tests will follow, but as of now, the hope is that it isn’t as bad as it may have appeared following on-site exam. https://t.co/7ljN4x7OQC
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) August 25, 2022
Ojulari had started training camp on the non-football injury (NFI) list with a hamstring issue but was activated following a passed physical in mid-August. He had looked good leading up to Thursday’s practice.
Ojulari, a second-round pick out of Georgia last year, burst on the scene by recording a Giants rookie franchise record for sacks with 8.0. He played all 17 games last season with eight starts.
Entering minicamp, Ojulari revealed that he had added 10 pound of muscle this offseason — and it showed.
“I just felt like trying to improve my game, my weight to just hold up,” he said. “I just feel good. Just wanted to get bigger.”
The presence of Ojulari also motivated rookie edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, who said he wanted to do “everything” better than his pass rushing counterpart.
“I told him yesterday in the meeting like everything he does I want to do it better. Whether it’s eating, sleeping, or breathing, I’m going to try to do it better. So, just continuing to set a standard and continuing to chase and create that competitive banter,” Thibodeaux said last week.
Thibodeaux is at risk of missing a Week 1 game against the Tennessee Titans due to a sprained MCL. And it now appears as if Ojulari is at risk as well.
