NY Giants grades: Offense holds, Leonard Williams has monster game

LB Tae Crowder

Grade: A

Tae Crowder might have been the last selected player in the 2020 draft, but as he showed in this game, he’s been anything but Mr. Irrelevant.

Much has been said about how important the addition of Blake Martinez has been to this resurgent Giants’ defense. What should also be reminded is how having a playmaker like Martinez opens up opportunity for others to prove their worth.

Crowder has used that opportunity to shine. He came into Sunday’s game starting just five games for the Giants, while playing in 10. Crowder has seen more than half of the defensive snaps in the majority of those games. The only times he didn’t came in Week 2 and 3, when he was primarily used for special teams, and in Week 12’s win over Cincinnati.

He’s making the most of his time, too. He came into the game ninth on the Giants’ defense in tackles with 46. He also had a sack, two tackles for loss, a pass deflection, a fumble recovery which went for a touchdown.

And in this game, Crowder led the Giants with 11 tackles, one of which was for a loss.

Martinez will be the who teams worry about most when they play the Giants’ defense, but Crowder has shown glimpses of his ability this year.

Head coach Joe Judge’s pedigree is in special teams. And he must have seen something to shift Crowder’s role from a special team’s player at the start of the season to a true defensive player for the last six weeks.

With a full offseason to learn and to improve, Mr. Irrelevant is likely to be a key member of the Giants’ defense going forward.