Why the NY Giants’ rebuild is further along than the Jets’
By Matt Clark
Linebacker
The linebacking corps for both the NY Giants and the NY Jets were nothing to write home about in 2019. In 2019, PFF.com had the Jets linebacker group rated as the third-worst in the NFL and the Giants ranked as the 23rd best in the league.
Much of the sub-par performance by both the linebacker groups of both New York teams were due to a plague of injuries. The Jets saw their big 2019 free agent signing C.J. Mosley reduced to only 114 snaps on the season, while Avery Williamson missed all of the season for Gang Green.
Meanwhile, injuries ravaged much of the Giants linebacking group, including rookie Ryan Connelly, who had played extremely well until he suffered a season-ending knee injury.
The Jets are relying on the return of Williamson and Mosley to help bolster their linebacker group that includes former 2016 third-round pick Jordan Jenkins, 2019 fifth-round pick Blake Cashman, and Patrick Onuwasor who was signed as a free agent this offseason.
The Giants decided to bolster their linebacker corps by signing two former Green Bay Packers, Blake Martinez, and Kyler Fackrell. Martinez is a tackling machine who is stout against the run, while Fackrell of the NY Giants is two years removed from a 10.5 sack season with the Packers.
Additionally, the team used a rare unrestricted free agent tender to help retain their sack leader from 2019, Markus Golden.
The Giants hope that Connelly returns to preinjury form, that their third-round picks from 2018 and 2019, Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines live up to their pass-rushing potential and that David Mayo can replicate his 2019 performance.
The team also added depth that the desperately lacked at the position last season, when they drafted Cam Brown in the sixth round, and Tae Crowder, TJ Brunson, and Carter Coughlin in the seventh round of the draft.
Advantage: NY Jets
The advantage the NY Jets have over the NY Giants at linebacker isn’t significant. The tandem of Mosely and Williamson is extremely solid. However, if Martinez can finally put together a season where he excels against both the pass and the run, Golden duplicates his pass-rushing abilities from last season and any of the young linebackers of the Giants take a step forward, it could easily swing the pendulum in favor of Big Blue.