When news broke from OTAs that veteran defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris suffered a season-ending Achilles tear, it forced a quick reassessment of the New York Giants' defensive line depth.
The 32-year-old was never going to be a franchise-saving superstar, but he was a steady, reliable veteran presence entering the final year of a two-year, $9 million contract he signed last offseason. There's now a 6-foot-7, 300-pound void general manager Joe Schoen must fill to give his new defensive coordinator, Dennard Wilson, a shot at shoring up their putrid run defense.
The immediate, knee-jerk reaction from the fan base is to look anywhere else. But what if I told you New York already has an overlooked replacement who could be even more dangerous than Robertson-Harris?
There are some who will point out that Chauncey Golston simply lacks the traditional, space-eating size to line up as a permanent, bruising trench warrior on the interior. Standing at 6-foot-5 and 277 pounds, he doesn't have the classic physique of an inside run-stuffer. It's fair to point out, but discounting him entirely after an underwhelming first year in Giants blue ignores a proven track record of positional versatility.
Roy Robertson-Harris injury puts Chauncey Golston on the clock
The former Iowa standout is looking to rewrite his narrative after his utilization completely bottomed out during Year 1 in New York.
It was a frustrating step backward, especially considering he was just one season removed from a breakout, 5.5-sack campaign with the Dallas Cowboys. His role as a pure pass-rusher is likely gone. That's what happens when the team you play for builds the league's most terrifying pass-rushing unit. Abdul Carter, Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Arvell Reese already have the perimeter on lock.
Snaps off the edge are going to be scarcer than ever, meaning Golston’s survival depends entirely on kicking inside and getting the most out of that three-year, $18 million contract.
Golston has done the dirty work in the middle before, and his unique frame actually gives Wilson a dangerous chess piece to manipulate. While he doesn't possess the sheer mass of a traditional nose tackle, his length and explosive first step present a completely different set of problems for the more slow-footed offensive linemen.
He can shoot gaps and create the kind of pressure up the middle that flushes quarterbacks directly into the waiting arms of Carter and Burns... and Thibodeaux... oh, and Reese.
His reduced role last year was a wake-up call, but it also creates the perfect chip-on-the-shoulder motivation for a 28-year-old with nothing to lose and everything to gain. If he can recapture that disruptive form we saw during his breakout days in Dallas, the Giants won't need to look far for their next reliable defensive line piece.
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