Predicting the starting defense for the NY Giants next season
After a tumultuous 2021 season in which the NY Giants finished 4-13, several changes were made on both sides of the ball. With several key players no longer in the fold, the Giants are going to look quite different than they did last year.
In taking a look at the predictions for the offense, the starters were, for the most part, the same as last season outside of the offensive line and tight end. However, this is not the case for the defense. Several key players – inluding Logan Ryan and James Bradberry – are no longer on the roster.
Despite this, the defense of the NY Giants looks very promising, with several new rookies/free agents coming in to replace some of the former G-Men. With that said, here’s a look at how the defense could line up come Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans.
Defensive line: Jihad Ward, Dexter Lawrence, Leonard Williams
Headed by former Pro-Bowler Leonard Williams and 2018 first-round pick Dexter Lawrence, this NY Giants defensive line is looking pretty solid. While Williams had a bit of a down season last year and Lawrence has not quite lived up to his expectations as a first-rounder, they are both very solid players who are important to this defense.
Next to these two will likely be former Raiders second-round pick Jihad Ward, who is coming off of arguably his best season yet. In 17 games played for the Jaguars last season, Ward tallied 32 combined tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss and seven QB hits.
Besides the likely starters, backing them up are players like fifth-round pick D.J Davidson, who is likely to see the field a good amount backing up Lawrence, former Minnesota Viking Jalyn Holmes, and former Ravens fourth-round pick Justin Ellis.
While this may not seem like the most impressive defensive line, in a new blitz/QB rush-heavy system ran by Wink Martindale, they may see better amounts of success than they did in the previous season. Especially if Williams can return to his 11.5 sack form that he had in 2020.