NY Giants: These 5 position groups show team trending in right direction

Linebacker

With the 2020 season in the team’s rearview, it seems easy enough for fans and management alike to rank the linebacker unit among their most pressing issues heading into the offseason.

Last offseason, NY Giants Legend Michael Strahan told it straight when pressed on the team’s defensive woes. “We need to find some dogs.” Well, following Dave Gettleman’s star free agent acquisition, Big Blue got their ‘dog’.

But apart from adding a true No.1 receiver to their receiving corps in this upcoming offseason, the Giants need to prioritize adding an EDGE rusher next to star (albeit lone) linebacker, Blake Martinez, in addition to supporting the foundation of players they drafted last April.

In the first year of his three-year deal, Martinez had an incredible debut in a new city despite being snubbed from a pro-bowl selection.

Playing his fourth consecutive season by making all 16 starts, he racked up 151 total tackles (3rd in the NFL), 3.0 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception, 5 passes defended, and 8 stuffs. But apart from him at middle-linebacker, the Giants depth at this position had been bereft of any playmakers.

However, while it’s a position that will need to be addressed in the 2021 draft with a specific emphasis on finding an EDGE rusher, the production from rookies: Cam Brown, Carter Coughlin, T.J. Brunson and “Mr. Irrelevant” Tae Crowder deserve credit for how they carried the load in 2020.

Taken out of Penn State, Brown played 92 defensive snaps this season throughout his 15 games. He had a forced fumble, 12 combined tackles, and 3 hits on the quarterback.

Minnesota’s Coughlin showcased his value after being taken late in the seventh round. The former Gopher started 2 of the 14 games he played in, and recorded 1.0 sack, 17 combined tackles and 2 hits on the quarterback.

South Carolina’s Brunson proved to be the most disappointing out of this group, as he played in only 5 games with 3 combined tackles to show for his forgettable rookie performance.

However, Crowder was anything but irrelevant this season. In fact, the 6-3, 235-pound linebacker made the biggest impact as he excelled in mid-field of the Giants defense; starting 6 games out of the 11 he played in while having one pass defended, 1.0 sack, 57 combined tackles, and 3 hits on the quarterback during his rookie campaign.

Meanwhile, more seasoned players such as Devonte Downs (who saw playing time in all 16 games) and David Mayo recorded a lackluster 62 total tackles between them.

And with Oshane Ximines’ rotator cuff injury landing him on the IR in Week 4, Giants fans were deprived of the chance to evaluate how the former 2019 third round pick would improve in his second year and be able to develop their pass rush.

However, UDFA Niko Lalos was an exciting player to watch develop this season in addition to veteran Kyler Fackrell who performed at a high level on his 1-year deal. Coming over to New York from Green Bay, he played in 12 games; recorded 4.0 sacks, 23 solo tackles and ran back an interception for a touchdown against the Giants first matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.

Overall, this position group stood out as one of the up-and-coming areas on their roster.

Their pass rush ranked 19th in the league, according to PFF, which is an improvement from the previous year’s 25th ranking. And with the system the current coaching staff has in place, there is no reason why that number can’t continue to improve with just a few key offseason acquisitions.