5 edge rushers Giants could target this offseason
One position the New York Giants will be seeking to fill this offseason is edge rusher.
Currently, the Giants are slated to head into the 2021 season with third-year linebacker Oshane Ximines, who spent the last 13 weeks of this season on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, and fourth-year linebacker Lorenzo Carter, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 5, on the outside.
Kyler Fackrell was only signed to a one-year deal and will be a free agent come March should the Giants not extend him. So will defensive linemen Leonard Williams and Dalvin Tomlinson.
General manager Dave Gettleman has work to do in this area. He will likely retain Williams, as that will be a priority, but the Giants still need more at the edge rusher role.
Here are some possibilities for the pass rush next season. The landscape is not bountiful with them and the salary cap will be going down so the Giants may have to get creative here.
Gregory Rousseau, Miami
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Gregory Rousseau played only one season for the Hurricanes but it was quite a productive one. In 2019, the six-foot-seven, 265-pounder racked up 15.5 sacks, second in the nation behind Ohio State's Chase Young. He opted out of his sophomore season in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns and is entering the 2021 NFL draft as the highest-rated EDGE rusher by many draftniks. Rousseau could be too raw for the Giants to consider with the 11th overall selection, however.
Patrick Jones, Pitt
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Patrick Jones (6-foot-5, 260 pounds) isn't considered first-round material but the Giants could snag him in the second round. Jones is not like Rousseau. He's a senior and is much more NFL-ready. In his junior and senior seasons, Jones had a combined 24 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks in 22 games. He is known as a hard-charging pass rusher but may not fit in the Giants' 3-4 base defense. He is a hand-in-the-dirt 4-3 defensive end whereas the Giants are seeking a player who can play linebacker and rush the passer from a stand-up position. But if they like him, they can either try to fit him in at defensive end or try to convert him.
Yannick Ngakoue, Ravens
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Here we go again with Yannick Ngakoue. We know the Giants like him but it will take a lot to pry him away from Baltimore, who surrendered third- and fifth-round picks in the 2021 NFL Draft to land him in October. The Ravens will likely try to keep him in the fold if they can, even if it means applying the franchise tag. Signing Ngakoue would likely mean the end of Leonard Williams' or Dalvin Tomlinson's Giants tenure as it will require a top-of-the-market contract and the Giants do not have a ton of cap space to play with.
Haason Reddick, Cardinals
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The Giants know all too well how dangerous Haason Reddick can be as he burned them for five sacks in Week 14 this year. Reddick finished the season with a career-high 12.5 sacks but the former first-round pick out of Temple has underperformed for Arizona, who declined his fifth-year option last May making him a free agent in 2021. There will be a market for Reddick but it won't be a heated one. Not sure he fits with the Giants, but if the price is right you never know.
Matt Judon, Ravens
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If the Ravens decide to keep Ngakoue, they most likely won't have space for Matt Judon, who they were willing to trade this past offseason. Judon has 34.5 sacks in his five years with Baltimore and is a solid player at the right price but how much of an upgrade -- if at all -- would he be over Carter, Ximines or even Fackrell?
Other options
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Shaquill Barrett
Jadeveon Clowney
