Cardinals outside linebacker BJ Ojulari (knee) suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during practice on Friday. The 2023 second-round pick had a solid finish to his rookie season with four sacks and was projected to be a top pass rusher for Arizona this year. In Ojulari's absence, Dennis Gardeck is expected to assume a more significant role, and Victor Dimukeje is likely to see increased playing time at outside linebacker. Injuries have been a persistent challenge for Ojulari since his draft year; he had a knee procedure between the combine and the draft and dealt with a hamstring issue the previous spring. He began the last training camp on the PUP list but was activated by early August. With the defense weakened, Kyler Murray, Marvin Harrison Jr., Trey McBride, and James Conner will likely need to score more points to keep the team competitive. All of these players could see a boost in value if Arizona becomes a high-scoring team, similar to last year.
BJ Ojulari Bulks Up, Stands Out In Offseason Practices
Arizona Cardinals second-year pass-rusher BJ Ojulari added 10 pounds and shortened his stride in an effort to impress during his first full offseason in the NFL, and it has worked so far. Ojulari showed an improved set of pass-rush moves that could help him break into the rotation in a deep outside linebackers room in Arizona. He missed time last season because of hamstring and knee injuries that kept him sidelined until training camp. Now that he's healthy in 2024, Ojulari has shown why he was a second-round pick (41st overall) last year out of LSU. In 17 games played in his rookie campaign last year, the 22-year-old produced 40 tackles (23 solo), four sacks, five tackles for loss, six QB hits and one pass breakup for the Cardinals defense.
Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said that second-round rookie outside linebacker B.J. Ojulari (knee), who underwent offseason knee surgery, will be "ready to go" for Week 1 of the 2023 regular season this Sunday against the Washington Commanders. Ojulari and the Cardinals run defense should have their work cut out for them on the road against a Commanders offense now run by former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. The 21-year-old Ojulari figures to be a starter for the rebuilding Cardinals.
Arizona Cardinals rookie second-round linebacker BJ Ojulari (knee), who had an offseason cleanup surgery on his knee, was activated from the Physically Unable to Perform list at training camp on Monday. Despite the activation, the 21-year-old pass-rusher is without a timetable for a return to practice at camp. Ojulari will be competing for a starting role on defense once he's healthy, but all the missed development time this offseason and camp could have him behind the eight ball in terms of consistent playing time early in his first NFL season. Ojulari will be unlikely to play in the team's preseason opener this Friday against the Denver Broncos.
