After the devastating injury to rookie linebacker Ryan Connelly on the New York Giants, the position not only lost its best player, but the alternatives have not performed well this season. Both Alec Ogletree and Tae Davis missed week four with individual injuries, leaving Connelly to lead the defense.
The rookie out of Wisconsin finished the day with one sack and one interception before going down on a non-contact injury. Supplementing his loss will be extremely difficult, even if the two players mentioned return in week five against the Minnesota Vikings. Without him, the task of beating the Vikings will be tall and require a team effort. However, the Giants could look to free agents to compensate for the loss of their best linebacker and new leader.
The New York Giants would need to make some moves to consider signing a player:
The first thing to consider is if there’s available cap space for Big Blue — they are running thin in this facet. They would theoretically have to release some players to open up enough room to sign a capable free agent. They currently sit on $3.12 million of space. That is where the $23.2 million in allocations in the form of Eli Manning might come in handy.
The Giants, however, will not cut Manning before his contract expires after the 2019 season. There are other players that could be on the chopping block to open up space. One player that might be willing to take a loss on his contract would be veteran in linebacker, Brandon Marshall. Drafted in the fifth round by the Jacksonville jaguars in 2012, Marshall has been impressive at times in his career.
Just two years ago, he started all 16 games for the Denver Broncos, recording 106 combined tackles, 75 solo, six tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, 3.0 sacks, and four passes defended.
Last season, he suffered a significant knee injury that limited him to just 42 combined tackles. The Oakland Raiders released him before the regular season began just a few weeks ago, as Marshall essentially used training camp to rehab and work his way back to physical form.
The Giants would likely have to rely on Ogletree and Davis moving forward, two capable options that won’t blow anyone away. They also have David Mayo, a big body that played well at times against the Washington Redskins in week four. Kicking the tires on Marshall might be a decent idea considering his past success, and if he’s willing to take a lesser amount of money to join an NFL team, he could provide value on the defense.
EXTRA:
Keep a lookout for a second article recommending an alternative player, one that would cost far less and has the tenacity to be a physical player in the NFL.