Well, I didn’t plan on writing about another Philadelphia Eagles free agent signing, as I thought I covered everyone here! However, the Eagles had other plans and recently announced the signing of Azeez Ojulari. I’ve watched him over the past couple of days, and I’m a massive fan of this move. It’s probably my favorite move (except for re-signing Zack Baun, obviously) of the offseason so far.
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Numbers
Ojulari’s numbers are good. His pass rush win rate numbers are average, but his sack totals are very good. He can clearly convert pressures to sacks. The biggest issue with Ojulari is his health. He’s missed way too many games over his career.
The Film
Let’s roll through this quickly. There’s a lot of interesting stuff. I’ll start with his pass rushing and then get into his coverage and run defense.
Ojulari wins with his length and hand usage to disengage blockers. It’s obvious on film that he has great arm length.
Let’s have a look at some Azeez Ojulari sacks. If you look at them all, a theme develops. He wins on a stunt here, and you can see his long arms and ability to use his hands to disengage. He uses his length to keep blockers away from him really well. pic.twitter.com/bX9ZGeTPzf
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 17, 2025
He is not the most explosive off the snap, but his elite closing speed allows him to get off blocks and convert pressures into sacks.
He’s not explosive out of his stance here, and has to play through a chip, but you can see the length once again. He can get off blocks. His closing speed is fast, too. He can finish his pressures and turn them into sacks. pic.twitter.com/3pcRS4PQTv
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 17, 2025
He lacks top-level flexibility on the edge, but his arm length helps him keep blockers away.
He doesn’t look particularly flexible or bendy on the EDGE, but his arm length makes up for it. Look at how he uses his left arm here to keep the blocker off him. The closing speed is fantastic once again! His ability to use his hands/length to shed blocks is a huge reason why he… pic.twitter.com/8Ndkxh4dAA
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 17, 2025
Look at that closing speed!
This is a great rep to highlight his athleticism. Burrow is a good athlete. Ojulari can recover after almost overrunning this play. This isn’t a pass rush but shows his speed, burst, and ability to play in space. That recovery and ability to redirect is really good. He moves… pic.twitter.com/3iO5vafRzY
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 17, 2025
Ojulari can recover sufficiently, even when he overruns plays. He doesn’t need to turn the corner perfectly to finish with a sack.
This is a great rep that highlights his game. He’s not flexible or bendy enough to turn the corner like the elite EDGE defenders can. However, he has enough athleticism and closing speed to recover and win even when he overruns the QB. Although he can’t turn dip and turn the… pic.twitter.com/KWg2BVzrZN
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 17, 2025
Despite not having elite bend, his speed and length help him win against quarterbacks.
What a fantastic rep. Once again, this is all about his length and hand usage. Look how fast his hands are. He aggressively gets into the tackle’s chest and swipes his hands away. He might not be able to dip and bend like the top guys, but he has just enough flexibility to get… pic.twitter.com/owtUocPhKV
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 17, 2025
This is a very similar play to the one above. Good luck blocking him with a tight end. He’s pretty quick off the snap, but his closing speed stands out. That burst to finish is really good. He has that knack of getting to the quarterback as he winds up. Ojulari has the traits of… pic.twitter.com/sCHhGnIXhe
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 17, 2025
This is a good rep against a good guard. Blocking him with a tight end is ineffective due to his quick burst and closing speed.
Isaac Seumalo was a top guard, and Ojulari has enough to get past him. This is a great inside rush and shows his speed-to-power. He has the arm length to keep Seumalo moving backward and shed his block. His contact balance is strong here. He maintains his base and gets upfield… pic.twitter.com/cxevVrrWqh
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 17, 2025
As I’ve repeated a few times, he still finds ways to win despite not turning the corner that well.
We will end here with a great rush against the Vikings’ left tackle. Hopefully, you can see the theme from this thread. He doesn’t turn the corner that well. He definitely lacks the ability to dip and bend like the top EDGE defenders can. However, he still has enough to get past… pic.twitter.com/DkiNajCGSF
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 17, 2025
Ojulari wasn’t used much in coverage, but he looks comfortable dropping back. He appears more natural in coverage than other EDGE defenders like Huff and Sweat. I think he will fit Fangio’s system well and can drop when needed.
Watched a bit more Ojulari today. I really like him. He didn’t drop into coverage much last year but I think he has the traits to be able to do it occasionally. He looks more natural dropping into coverage than Huff/Sweat did. He’s smooth in space. pic.twitter.com/skGd0vKqbp
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 18, 2025
Another decent coverage rep, this time on the tight end. You can just tell he looks fine dropping into coverage. It looks relatively natural on film. Some EDGE defenders look incredibly awkward doing it. pic.twitter.com/5QwA610C1i
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 18, 2025
His run defense is solid, and he uses his length to keep blockers off and closing speed to make tackles. I watched all run defense reps where the opposing team had a 10+ yard gain, and I only held Ojulari responsible for one of them. He’s playable on early downs.
I didn’t notice any huge issues in run defense either. It’s not something he excels at, but he’s playable. He can use his long arms to keep defenders off him, sets the edge well and his closing speed helps him take down the ball carrier. I thought the film showed a well-rounded… pic.twitter.com/obXf1Vvz0l
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 18, 2025
He sometimes struggles with run defense, missing tackles and lunging rather than wrapping up. But it’s not a huge concern. He’s here to rush the quarterback more than he is to stop the run.
My biggest issue was his ocassional lapse in run defense and missed tackles. He falls to the ground quite a lot and almost lunges for the ball carrier rather than wrapping up. pic.twitter.com/LMPfcEaaiB
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) March 18, 2025
Overall
I love this signing. It’s an absolute no-brainer, and I’m stunned another team didn’t give Ojulari more than $4m on a one-year deal.
Ojulari is a high-motor EDGE with a relentless playing style and strong upper-body strength. His length is exceptional and makes him an effective pass rusher. He isn’t someone who will get pressure on every rep, but he’s a finisher. He has an elite closing burst, enabling him to convert a high percentage of his pressures into sacks. He reminds me a little bit of Haason Reddick in that sense. When I initially scouted Reddick, I said this…
He is not someone who will win consistently and get constant pressure. If you think the Eagles have signed someone who can do that, I think you will be disappointed by how often very athletic tackles can block him quite easily and take him out of the play. But he is a splash player, a game-wrecker, almost like a DeSean Jackson type of player but on the defensive side. He might not get a ton of pressures but he makes huge plays and converts these pressures into sacks
I feel similar about Ojulari. However, he isn’t as explosive and can’t bend like Reddick can. But there are some similarities.
Ojulari doesn’t have many pass rush moves, and he isn’t a true ‘bend the edge’ guy, but he wins with his ability to disengage due to his arm length. You can see in the clips from above that he can’t bend and dip like the true elite EDGE rushers. His size can also be a disadvantage, making him vulnerable against bigger blockers, and he isn’t the cleanest tackler. However, I didn’t see a real negative on film except for his injury history.
I don’t see any negatives to this signing at all. Ojulari should fit well into Fangio’s scheme, and a $4m 1-year deal carries barely any risk. If he’s hurt and doesn’t play much, the Eagles aren’t wasting much cap room. However, he should arrive highly motivated on a 1-year deal and will want to have a big season.
I can easily see a situation where Ojulari has a fantastic year and then cashes in next year with a big contract elsewhere. The Eagles might only get Ojulari for one season, but there’s a good chance it’s a very productive one.
Thank you for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below and ask any questions. If you enjoyed this piece, you can find more of my work and podcast here.
