Grades for key members of the NY Giants defense through 5 games

With the NY Giants off to their electric 4-1 start, fans are loving the product that head coach Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen have been putting out on the field. The Giants were said to be a rebuilding team this season and were not expected to win many games. Despite this, the elevated performance of almost every Giants player has allowed the team to have their hot start.

Throughout the first five games, the NY Giants defense has been strong, really making a difference for Daboll and Co. With so many injuries, the pass-rush has been impacted, but things should return to normal with Leonard Williams and Azeez Ojulari expected back this weekend.

With all of that said, some players on D have been better than others. We take a look at five guys in particular and offer up early-season grades.

5. LB Tae Crowder: D+

After a disastrous start to the 2022 NFL season, Tae Crowder has started to play a little better in the Giants two most recent games. However, “better” is still not all that great. Throughout the first five games, Crowder has racked up 27 combined tackles, one sack, and one tackle for loss. He also has nine missed tackles, allowing 132 yards and one TD on a 85.7 percent completion percentage  when he’s in coverage.

Despite how bad these stats may seem, Crowder’s last two performances have shown a lot of promise, especially the NY Giants Week 4 matchup against the Bears. In this game, Crowder tallied 10 combined tackles and one sack.

Even in the NY Giants most recent game against the Packers, Crowder looked solid. While he played a season low amount of snaps, he looked decent when he played, putting up three combined tackles.

Since signing with the NY Giants, linebacker Jaylon Smith has been extremely impressive, taking pressure off Crowder. Giants fans can definitely expect to see more out of Smith as the season goes on. Regardless of that, Crowder needs to up his level of play and become more consistent.