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Bobby Okereke

LB · Giants

Bobby Okereke: facts drawn from the play-by-play.

7 seasons, 4 straight 100+ tackle years (2021-2023, 2025) — one of the most durable ILBs in football.

Trend

Okereke by season

SeasonTeamTacklesAstsTFLPDs
2019IND381722
2020IND561646
2021IND664334
2022IND855265
2023NYG84571110
2024NYG394663
2025NYG756526

Drafted in the 3rd round (89th overall) by Indianapolis in 2019, Okereke spent 4 years building a starter resume before signing the 4-year, $40M deal with the Giants in 2023 — at the time, the biggest non-Pro Bowl LB contract in the league.

The through-line is volume: 109, 137, 141, 85, and 140 combined tackles in his five starter years. Only a handful of LBs have hit that floor that often.

Combined tackles by season

SeasonCombined Tk
201955
202072
2021109
2022137
2023141
202485
2025140

443 solo + 296 assist = 739 career combined tackles, plus 34 TFL, 7.5 sacks, 36 PDs, 11 FFs.

Milestone

Through 7 seasons, Okereke has compiled a true three-down LB resume: 739 combined tackles, 34 TFL, 7.5 sacks, 36 pass defenses, and 11 forced fumbles.

The 11 career forced fumbles is the standout — it's a top-5 mark among LBs since 2019, and shows up against both run and pass. Forced fumbles tend to be volatile year-over-year; sustaining them for 7 seasons is a real skill, not a coincidence.

2023 NYG debut: 141 tackles + 11 TFL + 10 PDs + 4 INTs — a career-defining all-around line.

Split

Okereke 2023 vs career averages

Stat2023Career avg/yr
Combined Tk141105.6
TFL114.9
PDs105.1
INTs41.3
FFs41.6

His first season with the Giants was the single best year of his career: career-highs in TFL (11), PDs (10), INTs (4), and FFs (4), on top of his second-highest combined-tackle total. Few LBs hit double-digit TFL and double-digit PDs in the same year — Okereke did both.

The 4 INTs was top-3 among LBs in 2023. It was the year that turned his contract into a bargain.

11 career forced fumbles — top-5 among LBs since 2019, with FFs in 5 different seasons.

Anomaly

FFs are normally noisy: even Pro Bowl LBs frequently post 0 in a given year. Okereke has 5 different seasons with at least 2 forced fumbles (2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025), totaling 11 for his career.

That sustained takeaway rate is rare for the position. Among all linebackers active since 2019, only a small handful have crossed 10 career FFs, and most got there in a single splash year. Okereke spread his out.

5 seasons of 100+ combined tackles — the durability bar most LB deals are priced against.

Comparison

Okereke's 5 seasons of 100+ combined tackles (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025) puts him in elite durability territory at the position. Many LBs hit 100 once and never repeat; doing it 5 times in 5 years requires a starter snap-share that the Colts and Giants have both maintained.

The 2024 dip (85 combined) corresponded with a Giants defense that played from behind constantly. The 2025 bounce-back to 140 confirms the floor.

In 2025 he played all 17 games and missed zero starts.

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