The Philadelphia Eagles had to dig deeper into their bench on Sunday on the defensive side of the ball with Nolan Smith and Ogbo Okoronkwo sidelined. This meant that offseason signing Azeez Ojulari got the chance to make his Eagles debut after being inactive for the first four weeks of the season. The 25-year-old made the most of this opportunity and shone brightly despite the loss.
Azeez Ojulari Impresses in Eagles Debut
The Eagles played five edge rushers in Week 5. Jalyx Hunt played the most snaps with 43, but after that, it was an egalitarian distribution of snaps. In fact, Ojulari tied for the second-highest snap count with 34, five higher than Josh Uche. This is certainly noteworthy considering how he didn't seem to have the coaching staff's trust to begin the season.
In Week 5, Ojulari proved why he was the recipient of the Eagles' largest contract in free agency. The former Giants defender finished the game with three tackles, one tackle for loss, and a QB hit, while receiving a 71.9 defensive grade on Pro Football Focus.
Ojulari's production highlights the success the Eagles have found in revamping the pass rush rotation in the offseason. Za'Darius Smith and Josh Uche have been exceeding expectations through five weeks and have arguably been the reasons why Ojulari has been a healthy scratch all season. Even though Ojulari had fallen behind the pecking order in training camp and preseason, his track record shows that his Week 5 production shouldn't come as a big surprise.
As recently as last season, Ojulari had six sacks, seven tackles for loss, and ten QB hits in 11 games. During his four-year tenure in New York, he had 22 sacks in 46 games. His getting squeezed out of the crowded pass rush room in Philadelphia says little about his caliber as a player.
Now, it's safe to say that Ojulari earned himself a role going forward. It may not be 46% of the defensive snaps like it was against Denver, especially when Nolan Smith returns in a few weeks, but he should get situational snaps even when the Eagles are fully healthy.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's unit hasn't been as relentless and productive as it was during last season's Super Bowl run, but that is low on Philadelphia's list of priorities right now. The depth pieces, especially in the pass rush, have looked solid, and there is little doubt that Fangio will get the defense humming sooner rather than later.