The New York Giants new regime of general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll have turned things around exponentially fast for Big Blue. The mess that they inherited from the previous regime was a multi-year ordeal, but they got the franchise back on track in one year.
The Giants shocked everyone when they went 9-7-1 during the regular season, earning a Wild Card spot. They even won a postseason game, defeating the Minnesota Vikings during Super Wild Card Weekend before falling to the Philadelphia Eagles during the Divisional Round.
The gap between the Giants and Eagles was evident in that game, but New York is doing everything it can to shrink it. This offseason they added some more weapons to the passing game, trading for tight end Darren Waller and signing Parris Campbell, and addressed their need at linebacker, signing Bobby Okereke.
But, there are still some holes to fill on the roster. One of them is pass rusher, which the Giants are lacking on the edge outside of 2022 first-round pick, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Azeez Ojulari.
Surprisingly, there are still some very useful veterans remaining available in free agency with training camp just a few weeks away. One of those players is Yannick Ngakoue, who Brad Spielberger of PFF believes that the Giants should sign as their final move ahead of training camp.
“Ngakoue’s underlying metrics in 2022 were concerning, with his 9.5 sacks this past season well above the expectation of a player with his pass-rush win rate and pressure rate. That being said, he’s registered at least eight sacks in every season of his seven-year career and was a more menacing pass rusher on a per-snap basis from 2017 to 2021.
Ngakoue also makes perfect sense in a defensive line unit under defensive coordinator Wink Martindale that is all about rotating linemen in a platoon approach, so he can be a designated pass rusher alongside the young duo of Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari.”
Ngakoue isn’t going to give you much as an edge setter against the run, but boy can he get after the quarterback. You know what you are going to get from him, even as a situational pass rusher, something that the Giants could certainly use more of this season.
Dexter Lawrence, a defensive tackle, led the Giants with 7.5 sacks in 2022. Along with Leonard Williams, New York has arguably the best interior unit in the NFL. But, on the edge, they aren’t as daunting. Ngakoue would immediately change that given the consistent success he finds getting after the quarterback.
