The New York Giants keep investing in the defensive line, and this one is another reunion for head coach John Harbaugh. New York pulled off a trade for defensive tackle C.J. Okoye, sending the Baltimore Ravens a 2028 seventh-round pick ahead of final roster cuts. The move represents yet another step in the Giants’ ongoing effort to replace the production of Dexter Lawrence, who was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals earlier this offseason.

Another John Harbaugh reunion: The #Giants are trading for DT C.J. Okoye, per me and @RapSheet, sending a 2028 7th-rounder to the #Ravens for the former International Player Pathway participant.

Okoye, who recovered a fumble for Baltimore last night, heads to East Rutherford. pic.twitter.com/r3A3kQpCo3

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 29, 2026

Another Harbaugh reunion to solve a big issue

Okoye is a former member of the NFL’s International Pathway Program. The Nigerian defensive lineman went undrafted in 2023 and spent his first two NFL seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers. During his second year in L.A., he played under head coach Jim Harbaugh, John’s brother. Okoye then landed with the Baltimore Ravens last season, playing under John Harbaugh himself. Now the interior defender follows Harbaugh to the Giants.

This is essentially another attempt for the Giants to reinforce the defensive interior spot after trading Lawrence. New York signed DJ Reader, Shelby Harris, Leki Fotu, and Zacch Pickens in free agency, in addition to fellow former Raven Josh Tupou. The Giants also drafted Bobby Jamison-Travis in the sixth round. That’s a significant sequence of moves to address one position, and the idea is that the combination of all those additions can mitigate the loss of such an important player for the defense.

No single signing or trade replaces what Lawrence provided, but the Giants are betting that a committee approach, stacking several viable options, can collectively fill the gap.

What Okoye brings to the table

Okoye made 214 defensive snaps for the Ravens last season, with 123 snaps on the B-gap, 63 snaps as a nose tackle on the A-gap, 25 snaps over the tackle, and three as an edge defender. The versatility to play nose tackle is something the Giants were looking for.

Last year in Baltimore, Okoye posted a solid 60.1 run defense grade, even though he wasn’t particularly effective as a pass rusher, creating only two pressures throughout the entire season. He’s a viable run defender, and that’s probably what the Giants are trying to find here.

Okoye also turned in a solid preseason for the Ravens, logging 50 snaps with three pressures across three games. Two of those pressures came against the Washington Commanders in Week 3 of the preseason, and he recovered a fumble in that game. The performance wasn’t enough for him to make Baltimore’s roster, but it was enough for the Giants to go after him and reunite him with Harbaugh.

Because it’s such a small investment, just a 2028 seventh-round pick, this is a worthy bet for the Giants. It won’t necessarily alter the outlook of New York’s defense for 2026, but it’s another viable attempt to fill the void left by Lawrence’s departure. The Giants have attacked this need from multiple angles, and Okoye adds depth with a skill set that fits what Harbaugh wants up front.

Grade: B-