New York Giants putting all their chips in on Lorenzo Carter to break out

New York Giants, Lorenzo Carter
Dec 9, 2018; Landover, MD, USA; New York Giants linebacker Lorenzo Carter (59) sacks Washington Redskins quarterback Mark Sanchez (6) during the second half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants took an interesting path this offseason as they failed to address the pass-rusher position with elite talent. First, the Giants signed former Arizona Cardinal Markus Golden, a player that’s three-years removed from a good season, second, they passed on Josh Allen out of Kentucky with the 6th overall pick in favor of Daniel Jones, and third, GM Dave Gettleman waited until the third round to draft an outside linebacker, Oshane Ximines.

The reality is, they’re putting a lot of hope and confidence into second-year player, Lorenzo Carter. The former Bulldog had an up-and-down rookie campaign, tallying 42 combined tackles, seven tackles for a loss, 10 QB hits, four sacks, and four passes defended.

One thing that stood out to me was the diversity of his statistics. He tackled well, recorded sacks, and batted down balls at the line of scrimmage. His multi-faceted approach gives us reason to believe he will break out in 2019.

New York Giants are excited about Lorenzo Carter:

The Giants are certainly expecting him to be their top pass-rusher, a tall expectation to live up to, but defense coordinator James Bettcher stated he seems to be  “rushing with a plan” this spring.

Carter is a lanky edge-rusher that will line up outside the opposing offense’s tackle position, which will allow him to utilize his bend and speed around the edge. Again, the Giants are betting all their chips on Carter to have a great season, which generally indicates they’re still in the midst of a rebuild.

Not having a trusted pass-rusher leaves plenty of concern on the table, and I imagine they will use some of the cap-space gained back next year to bring in a high-profile player to accompany Carter and Ximines. At this point, though, it will be a developmental year for the duo with Carter being the highlighted option.