The New York Giants are trading for Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle C.J. Okoye, per a report from Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network. The Giants are sending the 2028 seventh-round pick they got for Joshua Ezeudu to the Ravens in exchange for Okoye.

It was widely expected that the Giants would make moves to reinforce an interior defensive line that has been a weakness throughout the summer and preseason. It makes sense that their first move would be to acquire a player that not only has rare traits but is also familiar to John Harbaugh.

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Okoye played for John Harbaugh in 2025 with the Ravens after playing for Jim Harbaugh as an international pathway player (originally from Nigeria) for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023 and 2024. His experience with John Harbaugh isn’t Okoye’s only link to the Giants, and Okoye came into the International Pathway Program at the insistence of Giants’ great Osi Umenyiora.

Okoye, 24, is a massive defensive tackle, listed at 6-foot-6, 365 pounds. That said, he also has impressive physical traits, with surprising movement skills for such an enormous young man.

Okoye played in 13 games for the Ravens last season, making 15 tackles in 214 defensive snaps. He’s still learning the game of football, as well as how to use his formidable tools. Okoye’s first organized game of football was his first preseason game for the Chargers in 2023, a game in which he also got his first sack. Former teammate Morgan Fox (Chargers’ defensive tackle) said in 2024 that Okoye was only just “starting to figure out football, which is terrifying.”

Okoye had been listed as a second-string defensive tackle for the Ravens, which is significant considering the Ravens have ESPN’s second-ranked defensive tackle group. He’s also been a part of one of the NFL’s best preseason run defenses, and is coming off of a strong game against the Washington Commanders with a tackle, QB hit, and a fumble recovery.