The New York Giants need some improvements in 2020. There’s no question about it after the team drafted in the top five again this year, but it remains to be seen where that improved production will come from. Will Saquon Barkley have a bounce back season and compete for MVP? Will James Bradberry step up and become a top corner in the league? Or will this be the real breakout season for Daniel Jones?
According to NFL.com’s Cynthia Frelund, the most improved player on the Giants this year isn’t going to be any of those names, but rather Blake Martinez. With a big hit against the cap, most fans also expect such improvements at this point.
Why the Giants will lean on Blake Martinez in 2020
The statistics say that Martinez was an active player with Green Bay in terms of tackling and getting involved in the play frequently. That skill lends itself well to the Giants, who have no other clear cut top name at middle linebacker.
Martinez made a tackle on 15.8 percent of his snaps (third-highest rate in the NFL among those with a minimum of 500 defensive snaps). The Giants’ defense, especially in the middle, will rely on Martinez’s effective play, likely requiring him to make even more tackles than the Packers’ defense required of him last season.
The Giants have been lacking in this area over the past few seasons and when Ryan Connelly started to stand out at inside linebacker, his season was ended early by an ACL tear. Now, it seems the team isn’t banking too heavily on Connelly coming back as a starter as they’ve invested big in Martinez instead.
Whether it’s a good or bad decision, the team’s move to bring him in on a deal that gives him the fifth highest cap hit on the team shows their intent to involve him heavily in their plans.
But is it enough to make Martinez the most improved player on the team this year? That’s a stretch, but we’ll have our first indications of just how good Martinez is going to be once training camp starts early next week, and Martinez and the rest of the new free agents finally hit the field in pads.