Coming into Week 3, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were one of the hottest teams early in the 2024 season. They scored nearly 40 points in their season opener against the Washington Commanders, and followed it up with a hard-fought win over one of the “teams to beat” in the NFC, the Detroit Lions.
Then, the Buccaneers inexplicably lost to the Denver Broncos. They have a chance to get back on the right track this week, as they face another tough NFC opponent in the Philadelphia Eagles. While the offense has been humming for the most part for Tampa Bay, it’s the defense that has run into some difficulties early in the season. They have had to deal with a slew of injuries in the defensive backfield, and they aren’t getting much help up front from their front seven in terms of an effective pass rush.
The Buccaneers have just two sacks through three games in 2024. That puts them in last place, one sack behind fellow NFC South squad the Atlanta Falcons. The NFC South has been one of the most consistently hard-fought divisions in football, and the Buccaneers are right there in the thick of it in 2024, but if they want to put themselves over the top, they’re going to need to address their defensive issues.
One way they can do that is by exploring the NFL trade block. Bleacher Report NFL analyst Kristopher Knox has a weekly column with the outlet outlining the top players who could be available via trade, as well as some potential suitors. This week he’s identified New York Giants edge rusher Azeez Ojulari as a player who may be available, and has linked him to the Buccaneers.
Ojulari is still young, just 24 years old, and got off to a strong start with the Giants, notching eight sacks in his rookie season of 2021. He added 5.5 sacks the next year, but has seen limited action for the team in 2023 and 2024. Now, he finds himself behind the likes of Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns in the Giants’ rotation, and could be looking at hitting the free agent market next season. Ojulari is currently in the final year of his rookie contract.
That fact, combined with the talent ahead of him on the roster, could lead the Giants to try and get a return on Ojulari now, rather than letting him walk at the end of the season for nothing. Tampa Bay would make a lot of sense, as they have a definite need at the position and should be willing to give up the modest price it would likely take to acquire Ojulari. Ojulari should be able to come in and pretty immediately inject some life into a Buccaneers pass rush that desperately needs it.
