The New York Giants’ decision to not address the defensive line in the offseason is coming back to haunt them. A former Giant was the catalyst behind New York’s offensive struggles in their Week 10 loss to the Carolina Panthers in Germany, making general manager Joe Schoen’s offseason decisions seem consequential.
Former Giants DT A’Shawn Robinson had a statement game for the Panthers in Week 10
A’Shawn Robinson, a member of the Giants’ defensive line last season and now with the Panthers, had his best game of the 2024 season against his former team. He recorded, five tackles, four total pressures, three quarterback hurries, and a sack in the Panthers’ win over the Giants, and he made perhaps the biggest play of the game by forcing Tyrone Tracy Jr. to fumble the ball in the first play of overtime, which set up Carolina for the game-winning field goal.
It was a statement game for Robinson, who was not brought back by the Giants after one season in which he recorded 49 tackles and nine total pressures.
The Giants opted to address pass rush instead of run defense in the offseason
Rather than addressing the defensive line in the offseason, New York went for pass rush, acquiring Brian Burns in a separate trade with the Panthers.
Burns has been effective for them, and while Dexter Lawrence has been superior in the front lines, the other pieces on the interior haven’t been as dominant, which has led to a lot of misfortunes for them defensively.
The Giants have been gashed in the ground game this season, as they have allowed an average of 147.1 rushing yards per game (28th in the NFL) and the third-most rushing yards allowed overall.
PFF has assessed them a 60.1 grade in run defense this season, a figure that is very below average and likely inflated with Lawrence’s brilliance. The struggles in run defense have been a key part of why the team has the worst record in the NFL currently at 2-8 on the season.
Joe Schoen failed to address an obvious need for the Giants
Last season, the Giants also allowed the fourth-most rushing yards per game at 132.4 per game. They also gave up 23.9 points per game, which was the seventh-worst mark in the NFL. New York finished that season 6-11 and in third place in the NFC East division.
Run defense was an obvious need this past offseason, but the Giants opted not to address that with a major signing or acquisition. The team has lots of problems in several areas, but the lackluster run defense has contributed to their struggles significantly and will be a decision that could cost Schoen his job as GM of the Giants.