The NY Giants went out and signed three former Detroit Lions this offseason.
The NY Giants had a busy offseason.
New York signed numerous players from all over in free agency.
The Giants added Kyle O’Brien to their front office in 2021. He was in Detroit as the Lions’ Vice President of Player Personnel for five seasons. If anyone knows a thing about Lions’ players, it’s O’Brien.
O’Brien must have helped the front office identity three free-agent targets in Kenny Golladay, Danny Shelton, and Reggie Ragland. All three players were solid signings for New York and will likely play substantial roles at their respective positions.
GMEN HQ reached out to the Lions’ FanSided site, SideLion Report for their opinion and analysis on the signings. We spoke with Justin Ochnser to get his thoughts.
Swipe through here to read more about the new NY Giants from the Lions:
GMEN HQ:
Question #1: How will Kenny Golladay help out Daniel Jones? What will his impact be on the entire offense?
SideLion:
The best way to put it is that Golladay is an offensive threat the opens up the offense.
In the games he missed in Detroit, the offense tended to stall and struggle. With him on the field, he was gaining enough attention to get other guys open.
As for his impact on Daniel Jones, Golladay should be extremely helpful.
He’s known for his contested catches and playmaking ability. Now he teams up with Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, and Evan Engram to form a scary group of pass-catchers.
I didn’t even mention running back Saquon Barkley coming out of the backfield. Jones shouldn’t have trouble finding someone open in 2021.
GMEN HQ:
Question #2: Golladay has missed time in three of his four seasons, with his lone healthy season coming in 2019. He missed 11 games in 2020 along with reported concerns over his attitude, relationship with Matt Patricia and the coaching staff, and allegedly not playing when healthy upon his return last year. How much stock do you put into these concerns and rumors? How worried are you about Golladay’s ability to stay healthy?
SideLion:
Giants fans should be more concerned about Golladay’s ability to stay healthy more than the potential beef with the Lions’ previous coaching staff.
Because, as you pointed out, he’s only had one healthy season dating back to 2017. When he’s out of the lineup, he will certainly be missed, but having a deeper stable of receivers and sound rushing attack should help balance any future absence by Golladay.
The attitude and relationship problems that may or may not be 100% true with Coach Patricia can be attributed to the coach-player relationship that hasn’t been very positive with Patricia and a number of former Lions players.
The coach rubbed some people the wrong way out of the gate in Detroit and Golladay appears to be one of them. Until you see something happen with Golladay and Giants head coach Joe Judge, I wouldn’t worry about it.
The same goes for Golladay not returning to the lineup when healthy at the end of the 2020 season. The Lions weren’t making the playoffs and Golladay was headed for free agency. There wasn’t much incentive to risk injury and lose out on an upcoming payday. Many Lions fans could sense the upcoming rebuild, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the players knew it was coming, too.
GMEN HQ:
Question #1: How will Danny Shelton help out the Giants’ defensive line and front seven? What do you expect his role to look like in 2021?
SideLion:
Shelton can be penciled in as a starter between Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence on the Giants’ defensive line.
He started 12 games last year and missed the other four with injury as he added a solid veteran presence to Detroit’s defensive line in Patricia’s system. In New York, expect him to eat up space in the middle and to make the rest of the front seven’s jobs easier.
GMEN HQ:
Question #2: Shelton is well-regarded for his run-stopping ability. He quietly has 4 sacks the last two years. Is there more to come in his pass-rushing department or does his one sack in 2020 paint a more accurate picture of his abilities?
SideLion:
If we look at his entire career, Shelton only has one season with two or more sacks.
So, what you see there is what you get. One could look at the team around him last season and hope for more pass-rushing stats in the future. In New York, Leonard Williams will surely get more attention that might free Shelton up for a few additional sack opportunities, but anything more than two on the season would be a bonus.
GMEN HQ:
Question #1: Reggie Ragland spent one season with Detroit in 2020. He played all 16 games while starting six. Does he have a realistic chance of starting on the Giants defense alongside Blake Martinez?
SideLion:
In short, yes. Ragland stepped up in the Lions defense to start those six games when needed due to injuries and some less than desired performances by other linebackers.
Detroit’s defense called for big playmaking linebackers and Ragland fit the bill. The changing of the guard in Motown is certainly to the benefit of the Giants in free agency.
GMEN HQ:
Question #2: Ragland is a classic thumper at linebacker who can pop players’ pads harder than most and is a run-stuffer. He isn’t the most agile or rangy in space but he can make plays due to his natural instincts and high football IQ. How will he fit into the linebackers corps and what do you expect his role to be on the Giants’ defense?
SideLion:
At minimum, Ragland is a solid depth addition with starter-caliber skills.
His agility may have been slightly limited due to a torn ACL that forced him to miss his rookie season, but he had high-profile expectations coming out of Alabama in 2016. A few years later and he’s still showcasing his abilities when given the chance.
He should fit in nicely with a Giants linebacking corps that can already provide some big hits of their own. Moving from Patricia’s “sub” defense to a hybrid 3-4 defense in New York should benefit both Ragland and the Giants.
GMEN HQ:
Thanks again for Justin for his Expert opinion and analysis.
Make sure to check out his work for SideLion Report here!