The New York Giants have made several interesting moves over the past two years, and one of them was benching BJ Hill after a solid rookie season. In 2018, Hill played in 16 games and started 12, posting 48 combined tackles, 5.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, and 8 quarterback hits. He played in 59% of defensive snaps, but saw a decrease to 44% in 2019.
When general manager Dave Gettleman traded for Leonard Williams, it affected Hill the most. He also brought in Dexter Lawrence out of Clemson last year in the NFL draft. This forced Hill into a rotational role which decreased his active playing time by 15%. The question is, can he return to form and earn more live reps?
At 6-foot-3 and 311 pounds, the 25-year-old is going into the third year of his rookie contract. After logging eight sacks over 48 games for N.C. State in college, he earned 5.5 as a rookie, blowing expectations out of the water.
The New York Giants should keep B.J. Hill involved:
Overcoming Williams, Dalvin Tomlinson, or Lawrence will be extremely difficult for Hill. I expect him to remain in a rotational role but offer solid talent if an injury arises or he is asked to fill a specific role. Over the first five games of the 2019 season, he played a minimum of 38 snaps, which dipped to 30 snaps in the final 10 games, when Leonard Williams was traded for in week seven.
The potential Hill flashed in his rookie campaign cannot be overlooked, but Gettleman did state you can’t have too many great players at one position. They are relying heavily on the interior defensive line to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks and produce a pass rush. The lack of monetary allocation toward the outside linebacker unit suggests that they will be scheming a pass rush with linebackers and safeties involved. However, players like Williams, Lawrence, and Tomlinson will be heavily expected to win individual battles in the trenches.
The three big bodies they have on defense draws double teams frequently, which opens up solo battles for players like Oshane Ximines, Lorenzo Carter, Kyler Fackrell, and Markus Golden. Hill has the ability to generate pass rush production from the interior, and in a 3-4 base defense, he can excel moving forward. He is the next man up if an injury occurs, which attests to the Giants’ attempt to bolster the depth on the team.