The New York Giants took a flyer on a pass rusher Tuesday by signing Kyler Fackrell. Fackrell, formerly of the Green Bay Packers, had a down year last year with only one sack but did accumulate 10.5 sacks in 2018. The Giants are hoping that Fackrell will rebound to his 2018 production after signing him to a reported one-year, $4.6 million deal.

Essentially, the Giants are hoping to capture some magic on a one-year deal, much like they did with Markus Golden last season. Fackrell is 28, one year younger than Golden at the current moment, so this deal has a lot of similarities to the Golden deal last year. Getting a linebacker who can rush the passer off of a down year in a prove-it deal.

Anyone who watched the Giants last year would have noticed their lack of a pass rush. Golden led the team in sacks with 10 last year. Nobody else had more than five with Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines each tying for second with 4.5. The team had 36 sacks last year and the lack of a pass rush was evident each week. Opposing quarterbacks were allowed a lot of time in the pocket to pick apart a young, inexperienced secondary. Things got a little better in the second half with Golden coming into his own and Leonard Williams applying pressure up the middle.

The Giants are still interested in bringing back Golden, which would be a good move. Failing that, they are reportedly engaged with Leonard Floyd who was just released by the Chicago Bears. The Giants still need pass rushers after adding Fackrell. They might even need one more even if they land Golden or Floyd. Getting to the quarterback is essential to success in today’s NFL and Fackrell could be a key cog in a pass rush machine but that machine will need other parts. Where those parts come from could mean the difference between a successful 2020 season or another year of losing football.

Fackrell is a good signing. It’s a low-cost risk that could bring back a high reward. However, the Giants will need more than Fackrell.