The New York Giants‘ defense does not have a single top-tier pass-rusher. Instead, the Giants have a rag-tag group of pass-rushers and a blitz-heavy defensive scheme to generate pressure. The Dolphins Blitzed on 35% of their snaps in 2019 with Patrick Graham running the defense. The Giants are expected to run a similar defensive scheme in 2020.
New York will use its scheme to make up for its lack of EDGE talent. The Gmen do have a few talented pass-rushers on their roster, but not a proven singular game-changing pass-rusher. But the Giants might not need that. The group of underrated pass-rushers that the Giants have assembled could be dangerous for opposing offenses this season.
New edge rusher Kyler Fackrell will be a huge boost to the Giants’ pass rush this season. The New York Giants signed edge rusher Kyler Fackrell to a one-year contract worth $4.6 million this offseason. Fackrell is 28 years old and has spent his entire career with the Green Bay Packers. Kyler’s time in Green Bay give him a connection to Giants’ defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.
Kyler Fackrell has been inconsistent in his career, but the best season of his career was under the coaching of Patrick Graham. While working with Graham in 2018, Fackrell played 59% of the Packers’ defensive snaps, a career-high. Kyler also started in 7 games and played in all 16. In that 2018 season with a career-high in snaps, Kyler Fackrell recorded career-highs with 10.5 sacks, 42 combined tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 18 pressures. An expanded role in 2020 could lead to another career-year for Fackrell with the Giants.
There is a lot of excitement surrounding Oshane Ximines entering 2020. Ximines is heading into his second NFL season after a promising rookie season in 2019. Thanks to your friendly neighborhood Alex Wilson on Twitter, Ximines is slated to learn from Osi Umenyiora this offseason. Could being taught by the Giants’ legend lead to a breakout season for Oshane?
Oshane Ximines played 45% of defensive snaps in 2019. Ximines totaled 4.5 sacks and was an efficient tackler. He recorded 0 missed tackles in his rookie season. He also recorded 12 pressures in 28 blitz attempts. Oshane flashed great potential as a rookie and his development could be the key to the Giants’ defensive success in 2020.
Lorenzo Carter was a solid player during his 2018 rookie season. The former Georgia Bulldog looked promising in his limited playing time. Carter played just 40% of the team’s defensive snaps. When he was on the field, though, Carter was impressive. In 441 snaps, Lorenzo Carter totaled 4 sacks, 19 pressures, and 43 combined tackles. Lorenzo Carter followed up his rookie season with only 4.5 sacks in 723 snaps in 2019 (65%). His pressure rate of 59% plummeted to 29% as a sophomore as he posted only 23 pressures.
With a couple of extra pass rushers added to the mix, it is very likely that Carter’s role will be decreased in 2020. With a lesser role in 2018, Carter was solid. Playing less could lead to more success for Lorenzo Carter in his third professional season.
This post was published on 2020-07-22 18:30
