The search for a franchise inside linebacker has eluded the Giants since Antonio Pierce left the Giants in 2009.
After another year of getting gashed by the run, GM Joe Schoen, Head Coach Brian Daboll, and Defensive Coordinator Wink Martindale set out on a mission to find another cornerstone to the defensive to join Dexter Lawrence, Leonard Williams, and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
In his Prime
In March of 2023, the Giants signed free agent linebacker Bobby Okereke. While football fans around the NFL weren’t paying much attention to the Colts since Andrew Luck retired…the Giants were more than enamored with what No. 58 did on the field.
Bobby Okereke is in his “prime” and a perfect fit for the Giants and the Wink Martindale defense. Each year he has gotten better and if you believe in “karma” you should know that Okereke replaced Blake Martinez at Stanford when Martinez went pro in 2016.
Okereke is an outlier when it comes to his size. It’s hard to play Inside Linebacker in the NFL at 6’1 | 235 lbs. He is known as a very smart, fast, physical player and if history repeats itself…you can count on Okereke to take at least 92% or more of the Defense snaps.
Making an Impression
On New Years Day, No. 58 came to MetLife playing Linebacker for the Colts and racked up 17 tackles, a Forced Fumble and a couple tackles for loss in the Colts 38-10 loss to Big Blue. The Giants brass took notice that one guy, named Okereke came to play.
Wearing the Dot
We all know that “The Green Dot” has value. The defensive signal caller wears this dot to show the refs who has the commincation in his helmet. In Wink’s Defensive system, the DOT has been worn by a safety for years. For the Giants in 2022 it was XMC and Julian Love. This year, Wink has a few players wearing the “DOT” to prepare them for the opportunity. Below is the list of players that have communication devices in thier helmet. Suprisingly, the linebackers are getting a run.
• S Xavier McKinney • LB Bobby Okereke • LB Micah McFadden • UDFA S Alex Cook • UDFA LB Dyontae Johnson