The Atlanta Falcons quietly bolstered their pass rush this offseason after losing both Arnold Ebiketie and Leonard Floyd in free agency. While neither player had an incredible resume in the 2025 season, both players were important rotational pieces in one of the league's most productive pass-rushing units. With this in mind, the Falcons jumped at the chance to add Azeez Ojulari despite the defender coming off a season with zero sacks in the 2025 season with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Ojulari might be coming off the worst season of his career, but there is a history of production that suggests this could be an underrated signing. As recently as the 2024 season with the New York Giants, Ojulari offered 6.0 sacks, with 8.0 sacks in the 2021 season being another noteworthy performance in what has been a solid career.
For whatever reason, whether scheme or an off year for the pass rusher, things didn't work in Philadelphia. However, Ojulari is still only 26, leaving zero reason to think the defender doesn't have productive seasons ahead and can't step in to fill the losses that the Falcons suffered in free agency.
Ojulari has a lot to prove as well after being forced to settle for a one-year deal worth only $1.4 million in the 2026 season. This speaks to a limited market that wasn't looking at the bigger picture and was simply looking at the past year of struggles.
Falcons Might Have Found Overlooked Offseason Steal in Veteran Pass Rusher Azeez Ojulari
What makes Ojulari such an interesting fit within Atlanta's current defense is the lack of expectations. There is no question that the entire focus of fan expectations rests of the shoulders of James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker. This is understandable as the second-year defenders are clearly the team's best pass-rushing options.
This is something that opposing offensive lines will take note of as well, allowing Ojulari to become a surprise contributor. There should be an expectation that Ojulari is able to step into the defense of Jeff Ulbrich and perform at the level he has for the bulk of his career.
Last season's struggles were the outlier in every way, with Ojulari putting together a resume that suggests the season ahead is going to be a return to viable production. No question, the signing of the defender has gone overlooked and has handed the Falcons a great chance to bolster a pass rush that lost a handful of impact players in the 2026 offseason.
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