Alexander Wilson
The New York Giants released linebacker Bobby Okereke on Wednesday, clearing $9 million in cap space but creating a massive hole in their defense. Okereke led the team in tackles in two of his three years in East Rutherford. His departure leaves the Giants rebuilding an entire position group.
The Athletic’s Dan Duggan believes the Giants will attack linebacker aggressively this offseason. “I mean, I think it’ll be a mixture of both,” Duggan said on the Fireside Giants podcast, referring to free agency and the draft. “I think it’s a good year to be in the market at this position.”
Unlike right tackle, the linebacker market offers multiple attractive candidates. “There’s a lot of intriguing guys at different ages, different price points,” Duggan explained. “You could get DeMario Davis for a lot less than Leo Chenal, a guy who has a ton of fans but hasn’t even really been a down in, down out guy.”
The Sonny Styles Drum Beat Gets Louder
While free agency will play a role, the real buzz centers on Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles at fifth overall. Styles dominated the NFL Combine with a 43.5-inch vertical (all-time linebacker record), 11-foot-2 broad jump (fourth all-time), and 4.46 40-yard dash at 6-foot-5, 244 pounds. He earned a perfect 10.00 RAS score, ranking first out of 3,216 linebackers tested since 1987.
“Like the Sonny Styles drum beat coming out of the combine is pretty loud,” Duggan acknowledged.
Styles is now appearing in 44.4% of post-combine mock drafts to the Giants. But Duggan warns they can’t bank on his availability. “Even if you’re going to do that, you’re basically overhauling the entire room,” he said. “You can’t just say, ‘All right, we’ll get Sonny Styles at five’ because if he goes number four, you’re not going into next season with Darius Musuau and Chris Board as the starting linebackers.”
The Free Agency Insurance Policy
This is why Duggan expects at least one starting linebacker acquired in free agency. “There’s going to be a starting linebacker, at least one acquired,” he said.
Mike McFadden could be a “nice swing guy” whose market crashed after a catastrophic foot injury. “You can bring him back on like a minimum type deal,” Duggan explained. “At least you have, okay, we can pencil him in as our number two inside linebacker and hope to upgrade it.”
Tremaine Edmunds, recently cut, presents another option. “He might be a good guy to hold down the fort, and then you have Styles, and then you’re in a much better position,” Duggan said. A trio of Edmunds, Styles, and McFadden would transform the room. “That’s a great room. You take a weakness and turn it into a strength.”
John Harbaugh’s Linebacker History
The emphasis on linebacker fits perfectly with John Harbaugh’s track record in Baltimore. Duggan pointed to Harbaugh’s consistent investment in the position throughout his Ravens tenure.
“You look at his track record in Baltimore, obviously he walked in and had arguably the greatest middle linebacker ever already in there in Ray Lewis,” Duggan said. “But then once he moved on, they didn’t just sit on their hands at that position. It was first round picks in CJ Mosley and Patrick Queen. Okay, Patrick Queen didn’t work out. But now we’re going to trade for Roquan Smith and make him the highest paid off-ball linebacker in league history.”
That track record speaks to a clear philosophy. “There’s definitely a track record of we need to have a premier player at that position,” Duggan explained. “And again, we’re going to talk about the whole tough, gritty Northeast football team, it kind of starts there.”
Duggan noted the Giants have treated linebacker as an afterthought for years. “It’s odd that the Giants for so many years have almost treated it like a little bit of an afterthought,” he said. “Maybe Blake Martinez, Okereke, they at least made some nominal investments. They have not really ever fully thrown themselves in there, and I think that’s going to change.”
At the NFL Combine, Harbaugh himself reinforced the importance of the position. “The inside linebacker isn’t always considered a value position but you can’t stop the run without an inside linebacker making tackles in the middle,” Harbaugh said. “You can’t do it. That becomes pretty important.”
The Caleb Downs Medical Complication
While Styles has emerged as the favorite, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs was also in consideration at fifth overall before medical concerns surfaced. Downs elected to skip testing at the NFL Combine, which raised red flags. Reports then emerged indicating Downs may have a partially torn meniscus and potentially degenerative ACL concerns.
Styles’ clean medical report and historic combine performance make the choice clearer if both are available. At 6-foot-5, 244 pounds with a 4.46 40-yard dash and perfect athleticism scores, Styles offers everything Harbaugh wants from the position without the injury risk.
The Giants desperately need linebacker help after ranking near the bottom of the league in all categories. They allowed the second-most rushing yards per game on the most yards per carry. Styles racked up 139 tackles in his final two years at Ohio State and profiles as an immediate impact player.
Multiple Paths to Success
Duggan sees multiple ways the Giants can successfully rebuild the position. They could spend big on someone like Leo Chenal or go cheaper with veterans like DeMario Davis or Tremaine Edmunds. They could draft Styles at five or wait until the second round at pick 37.
“I don’t know who that’ll be because there’s a million options,” Duggan said. “But I definitely think they’re going to make a substantial investment, whether it be more in the draft and a little less in free agency, or more in free agency and let’s say they don’t take Styles and in the second round they get a linebacker.”
The flexibility is refreshing compared to other positions. “I think that’s where they have a lot of options there, which is nice,” Duggan noted. “Whereas I don’t think you have that in every position.”
What’s clear is that linebacker won’t be an afterthought anymore. The combination of Okereke’s release, Harbaugh’s philosophy, and an attractive draft/free agency market sets up a complete position overhaul. Whether it’s Styles at five plus a veteran in free agency, or multiple free agents and a Day 2 draft pick, the Giants are committed to transforming their weakest position into a strength.
As Duggan put it: “So yeah, I don’t know what they’re going to do there, but I definitely think they’re going to make a substantial investment.” Given Harbaugh’s history and the current roster needs, betting against a major linebacker investment would be foolish.
More about:New York Giants
