They needed one.
They got one.
There was no secret the Giants entered NFL free agency determined to find an inside linebacker to start and patrol the middle of coordinator Wink Martindale’s defense.
That position was a weak spot in 2022.
It should not be a weak spot in 2023.
The Giants on Monday wasted no time, agreeing to terms with Bobby Okereke on a four-year deal worth $40 million, with $22 million in guaranteed money, on the first day they were officially allowed to speak with free agents from other teams.
This could be the biggest-ticket player the Giants sign from the open market.
This was a priority for general manager Joe Schoen, who looked at the run defense his team played last season and knew major improvements were needed.
Okereke, 26, fills several holes.
He is durable, having played in 16, 14, 17 and 17 games the past four seasons for the Colts.
He is productive, with 132 tackles in 2021 and a career-high 151 tackles in 2022.
This is what Okereke can bring to the Giants: He generated 75 defensive stops in 2022, tied for 10th-most among NFL linebackers, according to NextGen Stats.
Giants linebackers last season as a group combined for 87 defensive stops.
That was 19 fewer than any other defense.
Okereke was a 2019 third-round pick out of Stanford and after four years in Indianapolis played his way into a strong deal.
Before the agreement was reached, three other inside linebackers came off the board.
T.J. Edwards left the Eagles for the Bears for a three-year contract worth $19.5 million ($12 million in guaranteed money).
Germaine Pratt remained with the Bengals with a three-year, $21 million deal.
Alex Anzalone stayed with the Lions with a three-year deal worth $18.75 million.
The Giants upped the ante with a contract for Okereke that surpassed most of the other inside linebackers that went on Day 1.
Another inside linebacker — one of the best of the bunch — changed teams, with Tremaine Edmunds going from the Bills to the Bears.
Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll know all about Edmunds from their time spent together in Buffalo but the expectation was Edmunds’ price tag would rise above the Giants’ spending limit for the position.
That was indeed the case, as Edmunds got a mammoth four-year, $72 million deal.
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The Giants in Week 17 last season thrashed the Cols 38-10 to clinch a playoff spot at MetLife Stadium and Okereke was one of the few bright spots for the visiting team.
He was all over the field, piling up 17 tackles and he also forced a fumble on receiver Darius Slayton.
Why did the Colts let Okereke go?
They have a ton of money invested at linebacker with Shaquille Leonard and could not spend any more at the position.
Okereke stabilizes a position that was in flux in 2022.
Last week, the Giants re-signed Jarrad Davis to a one-year deal.
The 28-year old veteran arrived late in the season and ended up starting the two playoff games.
In the summer, Blake Martinez was released and rookie sixth round draft pick Darrian Beavers went down with a season-ending knee injury.
The Giants rotated players on and off the field and the defensive signal-calling duties were taken away from the inside linebackers and given to safeties Xavier McKinney and Julian Love.
Now, no doubt, Okereke will get to relay the calls from Martindale to his new teammates.
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