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NY Giants: Markus Golden trade clears path for this rookie

By Matt Lombardo

Oct 18, 2020; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Washington Football Team quarterback Kyle Allen (8) is dragged down by New York Giants cornerback Madre Harper (45) and linebacker Cam Brown (47) in the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 18, 2020; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Washington Football Team quarterback Kyle Allen (8) is dragged down by New York Giants cornerback Madre Harper (45) and linebacker Cam Brown (47) in the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /
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NY Giants rookie linebacker Cam Brown could stand to gain the most from the trade that sent OLB Markus Golden to the Arizona Cardinals

Since the last time the NY Giants defense took the field, one of the team’s most productive pass rushers was traded, which clears the way for a rookie to step up in a big way beginning Monday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Rookie linebacker Cam Brown, chosen by the Giants in the sixth-round of April’s NFL Draft out of Penn State, likely stands the most to gain after Markus Golden was traded to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for a sixth-round pick last Friday.

Brown, who has drawn rave reviews from the Giants’ coaching staff for his strong contributions on special teams, could be in line to inherit the bulk of snaps left behind by Golden as well as Lorenzo Carter being lost for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

“Cam has made a lot of progress for us,” Giants head coach Joe Judge said Friday. “He’s obviously developed a lot through the kicking game, and for a young player, exposure on the field in coverage units really builds in directly to your development as a defensive player. Seeing the ball, getting to the ball, playing with leverage, getting off blocks, learning the speed of the game. That’s all been instrumental in Cam’s development.”

The next step for Brown, who has played just 19 defensive snaps so far this season, is to legitimately crack the outside linebacker rotation.

Judge essentially put the ball in Brown’s court for how much playing time he’ll see vs. the Buccaneers and going forward the rest of the season.

“We’ll see where that leads us this week based on who we’re seeing up front,” Judge explained. “It’s a different team than we’ve seen in the past few weeks, different type of offense overall, different type of quarterback. So, we’ll see where that leads to Cam’s involvement this week. But we expect everyone on the roster to play their role and be productive.”

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Matt Lombardo is the site expert for GMenHQ, and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday for FanSided. Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattLombardoNFL. 

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