5 Offseason moves to fix the 2020 NY Giants defense
By Matt Clark
1. Sign free agent defensive end Yannick Ngakoue
You may see a common theme emerging in regards to the additions that the NY Giants need to make this offseason; ADD PASS RUSHERS!
New York possesses good young interior defensive linemen in B.J. Hill, Dalvin Tomlinson and Dexter Lawrence. They have invested in young cornerbacks Sam Beal, Corey Ballentine and Deandre Baker in the draft and have a good young safety tandem in Jabril Peppers and Julian Love. In addition, they have solid young linebacking options in Ryan Connelly, Oshane Ximines and Lorenzo Carter. What they lack are elite pass rushers. As a result, they should target free agent Yannick Ngakoue.
Yannick Ngakoue, much like Shaq Barrett, is going to be an expensive free-agent signing. He is projected to receive over $20 million annually when he signs in the offseason. The 24-year-old Ngakoue has earned a major pay raise with his disruptive play for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
This season, he has 40 tackles, eight sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception. Now in his fourth year in the league, Ngakoue has totaled 37.5 sacks, 13 forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions in his career. Those numbers are certainly indicative of a player who can be a game-changer on defense.
While potentially adding over $50 million annually in salary for the likes of Barrett, Golden, and Ngakoue is a lot of money, it would give the Giants an elite pass rush that they haven’t seen since the days of Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, and Osi Umenyiora.
Given the number of players on rookie contracts for the foreseeable future and the positive state of the offense, the Giants would be warranted to spend big to improve their defense and add proven veteran talent to a young core of players. Plus the cap room they are expected to have going into next season would allow for them to sign all three players, their draft picks and have additional money left to fill holes on the offensive line and other areas of need.