The New York Giants may have the most star-studded defensive line in the NFL, but it’s a less heralded player who’s garnering hype: Devin Taylor.
The New York Giants have made it a point to dominate the line of scrimmage on the defensive side of the ball. Damon Harrison is the best run stopper in the NFL, and both Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon have decorated resumes.
Amongst the undeniable star power that makes New York’s defense one of the most feared in the league, it’s a less heralded player who’s garnering praise.
It was reported in late May that the Giants signed defensive end Devin Taylor to a one-year deal worth $815,000. Due to the price tag, it was assumed that Taylor would be nothing more than a roster filler
According to Jordan Raanan of ESPN’s NFL Nation, an anonymous source praised the Taylor deal as a, “Great signing.”
"The signing of Taylor has potential — and many around the league support this view. One source even termed it a “great signing” because the deal could very well yield tremendous bang for the buck."
That’s an encouraging sign, and it may be a justified take.
Taylor finished the 2016 season with 28 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and a forced fumble in 16 appearances. That followed the 35 tackles, 7.0 sacks, and one forced fumble that he recorded in 15 games during the 2015 campaign.
With 11.5 combined sacks over the past two seasons, it stands to reason that Taylor could provide a valuable measure of depth in the pass rush.
Although he graded poorly on Pro Football Focus, it stands to reason that Taylor could experience a career rejuvenation in New York.
Pierre-Paul and Vernon played a vast majority of the Giants’ snaps at defensive end in 2016—when the former was healthy. Pierre-Paul has missed at least four games in three of the past four seasons, which creates a necessary call for depth.
If Taylor can maintain a steady level of production and improve his consistency against the run, he could be valuable commodity in New York.
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Once again, Jerry Reese appears to have made a strong signing along the defensive line.