NFL Rumors: Evan Neal trade ‘not a good fit’ for Giants; Aziz Ojulari linked to deal | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

With a 2-6 start, the New York Giants may have their hands full ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, but they reportedly have no plans to move on from offensive tackle Evan Neal.

Negotiations for the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 draft are “unsuccessful,” according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, despite him losing his starting job and serving as a backup all season.

However, one player the Giants could reportedly trade is pass rusher Azeez Ojulari. League sources told Fowler they believe Ojulari could be gone by Tuesday, especially if teams are unwilling to pay the Cleveland Browns’ asking price for veteran pass rusher Za’Darius Smith.

Neal spent his first two NFL seasons as the Giants’ starting offensive tackle, although he played in just seven games last season due to an ankle injury.

During training camp and the preseason, free agent signee Jermaine Eluemunor beat out Neal for the starting right tackle position, leaving Neal with no place to play as Andrew Thomas locked down the left tackle position.

Thomas suffered a season-ending foot injury last month, but rather than give Neal a chance to replace him, head coach Brian Daboll opted for veteran Chris Hubbard and 2022 third-rounder Joshua Ezeuda.

The fact that Neal has been left out of the starting lineup entirely might have led some teams to believe that the 24-year-old could be available via trade, but that appears not to be the case, with Fowler noting that Neal could ” see the field sooner rather than later.”

As for Ojulari, the 24-year-old is in good shape for his career year, with 24 tackles and six sacks in eight games, putting him just two sacks shy of the career-high eight he had as a rookie in 2021 year.

Following the arrival of Brian Burns via trade, Ojulari began the season as a backup and situational pass rusher, but was pushed back into the starting role due to Kayvon Thibodeau being placed on injured reserve.

While the Giants’ defense has benefited from that depth, Fowler said there is a belief that Ojulari will become the “odd man out” once Thibodeau returns.

Add in the fact that Ojulari is set to become a free agent at the end of the season, and the Giants have plenty of incentive to get something of value for him in a trade.

Fowler named the Arizona Cardinals as a potential landing spot for Ojulari since his brother B.J. Ojulari plays for the team.

B.J. Ojulari is out for the season, but the Cards could use a boost to the pass rush in his absence as they rank 24th in the NFL with 15 sacks.

At 4-4, the Cardinals are tied for three-way first place in the NFC West and have a great opportunity to move to 5-4 if they can beat the Chicago Bears at home on Sunday.

If that happens, Arizona could be a buyer at the deadline and Ojulari would potentially be a perfect fit.

The Detroit Lions should also be considered as a possible landing spot for Ojulari, as they recently lost superstar pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson this season and have yet to truly replace him.

Detroit is among the top Super Bowl contenders in the NFL, but the pass rush could be a major weakness heading into the playoffs if the front office doesn’t take action.