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New York Giants: 3 players on defense who have surprised in 2020

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New York Giants: 3 players on defense who have surprised in 2020

New York Giants, Blake Martinez, James Bradberry

The New York Giants are entering their bye week with back to back wins against division opponents. The Giants are sitting at a 3-7 record, that might not sound the best, but the Giants are just a half-game back from first place in the division. In the last few weeks, the Giants have made some drastic improvements.

There is a lot to like about the Giants this season. The coaching for the G-MEN has been impressive, to say the least. We can give all the credit to the coaches, the players are going on the field and playing every week.

Three New York Giants players who have played above their weight-class:

James Bradberry

James Bradberry has been a solid cornerback throughout his career but would not consider him elite until his first season with the New York Giants.

With his first season with the Giants, Bradberry just isn’t one of the best cornerbacks in the NFC East, he is one of the best cornerbacks in the entire NFL. Through 10 weeks, Bradberry leads the NFL with 14 passes defended and three interceptions.

Dave Gettleman was the former general manager of the Carolina Panthers. Gettleman drafted Bradberry back in 2016 in the second round. Once Bradberry hit free agency this past offseason, Gettleman jumped all over him. Bradberry received a three-year deal, worth $ 43.5 million. What a massive signing by Gettleman this past offseason.

Blake Martinez

Blake Martinez was a tackling machine in Green Bay for years but never brought much else to the table. The Packers couldn’t have been more wrong.

Martinez is tied for the most tackles in the NFL through 10 weeks, but he has done much more for the Giants than that. Martinez has provided a rock in the middle of the defense and being the vocal leader of this Giants’ defense. This is what the Giants needed on the defensive side of the ball.

Dave Gettleman again made another great signing this past offseason. Gettleman signed Martinez to a three-year deal, just like he did to Bradberry. Martinez’s deal is worth $ 30 million over three-years. This Giants defense has found their leader for years to come.

Leonard Williams

Leonard Williams was a Pro Bowler his rookie season in the NFL but after that season never played up to his expectations. Why would Dave Gettleman give up a third-round and fifth-round pick for an average defensive lineman?

Williams was the final piece to the puzzle for this Giants defensive line. The Giants now have Williams, Dexter Lawerance, and Dalvin Tomlinson are the starters, with B.J. Hill getting solid playing time coming off the bench.

The Giants were not able to sign Williams to a long-term extension and were forced to give him the franchise tag. Williams’ franchise tag is worth $ 16.1 million.

Whatever your feelings about the trade for Williams, you can not deny that he has been one of the best players on this entire Giants team. Williams is playing as he did back in his rookie season. He is finally becoming that all-around playmaker Gettleman traded for in 2019. Williams currently is leading the Giants in sacks with five, tackles for loss with eight, and quarterback hits with 17.

The post New York Giants: 3 players on defense who have surprised in 2020 appeared first on Empire Sports Media.

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Eagles Cut Two CBs That Might Interest Giants

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Eagles Cut Two CBs That Might Interest Giants

New York Giants, Dave Gettleman

The Philadelphia Eagles released two cornerbacks on Saturday that the New York Giants – who admittedly are still building their secondary – may have some interest in.

Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas were the two players waived by the Eagles after the team reportedly could not find trade partners for their services. Jones was a second round selection in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Washington and Douglas, who played at West Virginia, was taken a round later.

Both had fallen down the depth chart recently behind Darius Slay, Avonte Maddox, Nickell Robey-Coleman, Cre’Von LeBlanc and Craig James, who signed a 1-year extension on Friday.

The Giants have been behind the eight ball at cornerback all summer after DeAndre Baker got himself jammed up in an armed robbery incident in May and Sam Beal decided to opt out of the season due to Coronavirus concerns. Both players were considered to be in the running for a starting role across from free agent addition James Bradberry this fall.

Jones has been a disappointment and has had injury issues but overall, he just hasn’t shown the promise that made him first-round material at Washington. Douglas, a New Jersey native, fits the Giants’ mold a little better.

From Rotoworld: “Still only 25 with 18 starts (and 46 appearances) under his belt, Douglas is a strong candidate to be claimed off waivers and compete as a nickel option for a handful of suitors. He’s totaled 118 tackles and five interceptions in his three-year career.”

The Giants have been adding defensive backs all summer and may not believe Douglas is an upgrade over any of them. Right now, they have some hard decisions to make as it is. Claiming Douglas would add another tough cut for them.

Should the Giants decide to claim him, they will most likely gat him. They have fourth priority on the waiver wire behind only Cincinnati, Washington and Detroit.

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New York Giants Shockingly Cut Second-Year Linebacker Ryan Connelly

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New York Giants Shockingly Cut Second-Year Linebacker Ryan Connelly

New York Giants, Ryan Connelly

The New York Giants made a surprising cut today as the team trimmed its roster down to fifty-three players. Inside linebacker Ryan Connelly was released after one season with the team.

Connelly was selected by the Giants in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Early on in the 2019 season, Ryan looked like one of the best young players on the Giants’ poor defense. In the first four games of the season, Ryan Connelly recorded 2 interceptions, 1 sack, and 20 combined tackles.

But this great season was brought to a screeching halt. Connelly suffered a torn ACL in Week 4 that kept him sidelined for the remainder of the season. Many. Giants fans expected Connelly to be one of the Giants’ two starting inside linebackers this season, which is why this roster move is so shocking.

According to the New Jersey beat writers, Connelly was slow to recover in training camp from this injury. But they were all surprised to find out he was cut. After looking so impressive on the field last season, it seemed like Connelly had a bright future ahead. Maybe he does, but that future likely will not be with the New York Giants.

Who Will Replace Connelly?

The Giants drafted four linebackers in 2020. Tae Crowder, Carter Coughlin, Cam Brown, and TJ Brunson will all be on the Giants’ roster, fighting to replace Ryan Connelly. Additionally, DeVante Downs is another young linebacker on the roster who will have a chance to fill Connelly’s role.

Many expected Connelly to start alongside Blake Martinez in 2020. Realistically, that was never going to happen, even with the injury to David Mayo. Mayo’s injury will not keep him sidelined long, and he will return to the starting lineup when he is healthy.

Ryan Connelly is eligible for the Giants’ practice squad if he is not picked up by another team. Tomorrow, we will find out where Connelly is headed.

The post New York Giants Shockingly Cut Second-Year Linebacker Ryan Connelly appeared first on Empire Sports Media.

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New York Giants: Replacing Ryan Connelly After Strange Cut Decision

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New York Giants: Replacing Ryan Connelly After Strange Cut Decision

New York Giants, David Mayo

The New York Giants made their cuts to reach their 53 man roster recently, and Ryan Connelly isn’t on the list of players being kept. It’s kind of a strange decision, because Connelly was expected to compete for a starting spot next to Blake Martinez. And last season before his injury, it looked like Connelly was going to be a top defensive name on the team in his rookie year.

However, all that went up in smoke when the Giants made their cuts and decided Connelly wasn’t good enough. Perhaps it’s because of taking too long to bounce back from the injury properly, but it seems quick for the Giants to give up on a promising player like this. Especially when David Mayo’s injury brings uncertainty to the position.

Who exactly will fill the role that Connelly may have had if his recovery was successful?

Last year’s option, David Mayo

It looks like the Giants are going to rely on one of the players that manned the position last season, David Mayo.

But things are a bit more complicated because Mayo is out with a knee injury right now. That’s one of the reasons it’s so surprising the Giants moved on from Connelly very quickly. Mayo, however, may have gotten lucky with the injury and could make a quick return rather than miss a long period of the season.

Mayo isn’t exactly a bad option, and while he doesn’t look like a player with the breakout potential Connelly showed, he did have 82 tackles last season and isn’t going to actively hurt the Giants at linebacker.

The other option, however, is less certain.

The newcomer, Devante Downs

There’s some talk that Devante Downs was one of the players in direct competition with Connelly, and that the Giants must favor Downs if they cut his rival.

That may be the case, but it’s hard to put too much stock into Devante Downs just yet. Likely, the team isn’t thinking of him as the main option either. Maybe a stopgap before Mayo is back, but not a primary option after that.

That’s not because Downs is a bad player, but because he’s simply inexperienced. He only has 3 total tackles in the NFL. With no track record like this, it’s kind of asking a lot to throw a player like Downs right into the middle of things.

If he’s performing well in camp, Downs should get some kind of shot. But it’s a safer bet to give him time in the rotation first and let him gain some experience while others do the heavy lifting as starters.

With that being said, it’s not uncommon for linebackers to substitute often, so we might see Downs get a decent share of time on the field.

The post New York Giants: Replacing Ryan Connelly After Strange Cut Decision appeared first on Empire Sports Media.

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New York Giants: 3 major takeaways from 53-man cut-down

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New York Giants: 3 major takeaways from 53-man cut-down

New York Giants, Sterling Shepard, Xavier McKinney, Evan Engram

The New York Giants cut their roster down from 80 to 53-men on Saturday afternoon. With the deadline being 4 PM, the Giants waited until the final moments to make the cut’s official, with several surprises along the way.

It is clear that head coach Joe Judge wants to stick with his team from the start, retaining all four linebackers drafted this year. That means TJ Brunson, Cam Brown, Carter Coughlin, and Tae Crowder all made the active roster, which is quite a surprise given they had for seventh-round picks.

With Judge seeing increased confidence when it comes to personnel by ownership, the roster is meant to reflect his hiring.

Three major takeaways for the New York Giants:

1.) Ryan Connelly wasn’t showing enough to stick on active roster despite injuries

The Giants releasing Ryan Connelly was the biggest surprise of the day, considering his production during the first four games of the 2019 season. As a rookie, Connelly looked like he had significant potential, but having torn his ACL in week four against the Washington football team ultimately set him back.

Missing a week during training camp this year was problematic, and the Giants felt as though Devante Downs looks like the better option. I estimate that Downs will start alongside Blake Martinez at middle linebacker in 2020. There’s also a chance that Connelly slips through waivers and lands on the practice squad. That would be the ideal scenario.

2.) Giants are content with WR corps and stuck with experience over potential

The Giants signed a bevy of undrafted free agents this off-season, including Ohio States’ Austin Mack and Binjimen Victor. They also grabbed LSU speedy receiver, Derrick Dillon. Nonetheless, all three were cut on Saturday, despite their overall potential.

The Giants elected to go with CJ Board as their WR5 behind Corey Coleman, who also made the roster. Board has one year of experience, formally with the Jacksonville Jaguars. While he didn’t enjoy much playing time, a year of NFL experience in the locker room can be beneficial. The Giants clearly value NFL experience over undrafted free agents, which is often the case when it comes to roster cuts.

3.) Two quarterbacks is more than enough

The era of Alex Tanney has finally come to an end, despite his influence in the locker room. Having him to usher Daniel Jones into the lead quarterback spot was good for his rookie season, but there simply wasn’t a need for him any longer. The Giants elected to stick with Colt McCoy as their back up and released Cooper Rush as well, after claiming him off waivers from the Dallas Cowboys. Rush’s primary job was to help transfer the playbook over to Daniel Jones, and it seemed as if it worked during training camp.

It was always expected that McCoy would make the roster, and he is a solid option to fill-in if Jones is forced to miss any time.

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