The assumed starters at linebacker for the New York Giants are Alec Ogletree and B.J. Goodson, however, reserve option Tae Davis earned reps with the first team during OTAs on Friday.
Davis put on a show in the starting role, although he will likely only feature in specific packages. He broke up a pass intended for tight end Rhett Ellison during the two-minute drill and snagged an interception on a pass towards the middle, according to Giants.com. His solid day earned him some points from the coaching staff as they evaluate the players on the roster and help players like Davis reach their potential.
The undrafted free agent from 2018 played in 14 games with four starts last season. He tallied 32 total tackles with two sacks and four quarterback hits. His numbers look solid from afar, especially for an alternate option. If he takes on a bigger role in 2019 he could prove to be a darkhorse player for the Giants.
How would the New York Giants use Tae Davis?
Essentially, Davis would play alongside Ogletree in the middle of the field with the latter handling MIC duties. One of the more positive attributes that Davis possesses is his ability in coverage. He’s able to cover tight ends and play out in the flat against running backs. That’s where he makes a difference, as he’s not a refined run stopper like Goodson.
That indicates his play in specific pass-coverage packages. I would like to see defensive coordinator James Bettcher utilize both Davis and Goodson throughout games to extract value at the appropriate times.
With a year of experience under his belt, Davis will likely have the next-man-up role over rookie linebacker, Ryan Connelly. The Wisconsin product has fantastic instincts, but he will likely require a bit of development before he can overtake Davis for the job. In fact, I can imagine Connelly becoming an every-down linebacker over Goodson and Davis in the future. Here’s some more info on Connelly!