All the talk coming out of New York Giants training camp has been about how dominant the pass rush has looked. Between Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and a rookie who apparently thinks the backfield is his new apartment, things up front have been as advertised. What hasn’t been talked about as much is the run defense. And that’s where things got loud.
New Giants defensive end Chauncey Golston isn’t exactly someone fans have circled in red marker, but that might need to change after this week. He was already expected to help improve the team’s brutal run-stopping numbers from a year ago. But now he’s dropped the quote of the summer, and maybe the clearest understanding of what this team actually needs.
Speaking with Jared Schwartz of The New York Post, Golston didn’t leave much room for interpretation when it came to his role: “Setting edges and f***ing s**t up,” Golston told Schwartz... can’t really put it better than that. Talk about Kool-Aid Man-level running through walls... I hope you have a contractor on speed dial.
Chauncey Golston’s role with the Giants is as subtle as a brick to the face
This wasn’t a signing that necessarily generated a ton of buzz back in March. Three years, $18 million. Rotational piece. Plays the run well. Fine. That’s all this was supposed to be. But with one absolutely fire quote, Golston changed the tone, and maybe made a few fans want to run through drywall.
He’s coming off a career year in Dallas where he set personal bests across the board, including 56 tackles and 5.5 sacks. He also finished top 10 among all edge defenders in run stop win rate, which feels relevant considering the Giants were gashed for 136 rushing yards per game last year and couldn't stop a nosebleed.
Golston is long, physical, and can line up just about anywhere along the front. He’s not going to be out here doing spin moves and swimming over guards. His job is to make running the ball against the Giants a bad idea, something that hasn’t been the case in a long time.
With Dexter Lawrence drawing every double-team imaginable and defensive coordinator Shane Bowen preaching discipline over doing too much, guys like Golston matter more than ever.
This defense could be one of the most electric in the league. But it needed someone who’s happy to turn things ugly. That’s exactly what Golston's offering, and for the sake of criminally underselling what he said, now he’s saying the quiet part loud.