The New York Giants currently have one of the best defenses in the NFL, despite being 5-10. However, the pass-rusher spot is a position the Giants have lacked talent at for years.
Big Blue traded Jason Pierre-Paul in 2018 and Olivier Vernon in 2019. However, even before both trades occurred, both played inconsistently in prior seasons.
Although he was not the game-changer the Giants were looking for, the Giants signed Markus Golden in 2019. Golden led the Giants in sacks with 10.5, the most by a linebacker since Lawrence Taylor in 1990.
Leonard Williams is the current sack leader on the squad with 8.5 this season, the most of his career. Though retaining Williams is important, the Giants need a stud pass-rusher to put the cherry on top of a championship-caliber defense.
What the New York Giants Can Do in the Off-Season to Address Pass-Rusher
Pursuing A Top-Tier Free Agent
The New York Giants have traveled this path before. Olivier Vernon and Markus Golden are two examples, though the cost was on two different spectrums. This is the fastest way for the Giants to finish off their defensive rebuild. However, there are two ways the Giants can go about signing a pass-rusher in free agency.
Prove-It Deal
Over the last two seasons, the Giants are familiar with the concept of prove-it deals. Kyler Fackrell is currently on one and the Giants signed Markus Golden to one last season.
One prove-it candidate Big Blue can take a chance on is Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney is coming off a season-ending injury after starting eight games with the Tennessee Titans. After being pushed aside, Clowney signed a one-year/$12 million prove-it deal with the Titans. In eight games, Clowney made 19 tackles, hit the quarterback six times, made 12 tackles for a loss, forced one fumble, while not sacking the quarterback.
Jadeveon Clowney lost his value over the years with injuries and inconsistent play, stemming from the Houston Texans, then the Seattle Seahawks, and then the Titans. However, if healthy and put in the right situation, Clowney could be the pass-rusher the Giants are looking for.
Other prove-it candidates like Romeo Okwara, Ryan Kerrigan, and Everson Griffen are on the market as well.
Multi-Million Deals
The other type of deal on the table is a high risk/high reward type of scheme. In the past, particularly with Jerry Reese and others, the Giants have stung themselves with these types of contracts, resulting in contract dumps with dead money.
Matt Judon is one of the options on the table. Judon is currently on the franchise tag (one-year/$16 million) with the Baltimore Ravens. No rumors have come about yet about any extension talks regarding Judon and the Ravens. However, the possibility of an extension may sink now that Yannick Ngakoue is seeing a bigger role with more production.
Judon is a Pro-Bowler for the second year in a row. However, his production does not match the right to a nomination. He has fewer pressures, sacks, and quarterback hits than 2019, which will be a factor in his contract talks. If the Giants can prioritize Judon as the number one pass-rusher in the right situation, the missing piece on the defense will be found.
Other options include older veterans like Justin Houston, Von Miller, Olivier Vernon, Leonard Floyd, Shaquill Barrett, and Bud Dupree.
NFL Draft
Unless a talented pass-rusher falls into their hands, the Giants will have to look into the second or third round for production.
The top pass-rusher on the board is Gregory Rousseau from the University of Miami. Rosseau opted out of the 2020 season, so any team that does their research will have to look back at 2019, where he recorded 15.5 sacks. As the first option, Rousseau has a lot of upside.
Another option is Kwity Paye from the University of Michigan. Though Paye only played in two games this season, Paye recorded two sacks against Minnesota and recorded four tackles for a loss. Paye’s best season was in 2019, where he recorded 6.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for a loss. Paye’s skill set is not just recognized as a pass-rusher, but also as a run-defender. The Giants rank top-10 in the NFL in run defense.
Patrick Jones II from the University of Pittsburgh is another option if the Giants are taking their pass-rusher priority to the draft in April. This past season was Jones’ best, where he recorded nine sacks and 12.5 tackles for a loss. Most of the sacks came in games against Boston College and Louisville. One thing about Jones is that he will need to get stronger in the NFL in order to qualify as a top-tier rusher, although he has good length and speed off the edge.
Other options include Rashad Weaver, Aidan Hutchinson, Carlos Basham Jr., and others.
Overview
For the Giants to finally finish the defensive puzzle, they need to defy the Belichick way and get a stud pass-rusher. Free agency is the fastest way when it comes to impact on the field, however, the better the pass-rusher means better the cost.
If the Giants take their pass-rusher focus into the draft, the front office and scouts will need to do their homework when selecting the right guy. Depending on the round, developing the right guy may take a couple of weeks or possibly years.
Whichever path the New York Giants choose, getting a pass-rusher should be on the to-do list for the off-season.
