The New York Giants shouldn’t take any risks on high-priced pass rushers:
Make no mistake, the New York Giants are still very much in the midst of a full roster rebuilt. They only just drafted their next quarterback in Daniel Jones last season, and the reinforcing of various units is still required for the Giants to contend for a playoff spot. One of the weaker positions and more unpredictable ones as we head into the 2020 season is the pass rush unit.
In 2019, the Giants ranked 22nd and overall sacks, logging 36. However, they allowed the third-most points in the league with 419 and only forced 19 turnovers on the year ranking below average in the NFL.
Across-the-board, the New York Giants struggled to produce, which could indicate that signing a dominant pass rusher now could be the more efficient move. With players like Everson Griffen and Jadeveon Clowney still on the market, there is time for general manager Dave Gettleman to make a move, but I don’t believe he will.
As stated before, Big Blue is still rebuilding and must give reps to their younger players. Options like Oshane Ximines and Lorenzo Carter should be rotated in significantly in an attempt to develop their skills and hopefully allow them to be producers long-term.
Ximines his posted 4.5 sacks over 45% of defensive snaps in 2019, his rookie season. Carter took a significant step backward after starting his career on a positive note. Nonetheless, the Giants are adapting to a new defensive system with Patrick Graham taking over for James better. Graham’s defense will utilize more man coverage and safety/linebacker blitzes more frequently.
A more diverse blitzing scheme could essentially phase out a dominant pass rusher, or rather the need for one. While it is always advisable to have a player who can set the edge and contain the run at a high-level, productive blitzing safeties and capable rotational pass rushers can supplement. The Giants simply aren’t in a position to spend available cap space just yet. Signing a player like Clowney on an expensive multi-year deal would be malpractice, simply because they aren’t ready to take a monetary risk and depreciate their youth value.
The Giants will inevitably open up cap space in 2021 with the cutting of Nate Solder, which could give them the availability to sign a player like Yannick Ngakoue. Making premature moves like Jerry Reese did to save his job are unnecessary and can negatively affect long-term plans. Gettleman must stay the course and continue to develop his youth if he wishes to retain his job.