Giants linebackers will have a lot of responsibility

The New York Giants significantly improved their linebacker group last season after signing Bobby Okereke. The veteran stabilized the biggest vulnerability on the Giants’ defense from the previous year, albeit the improvement failed to yield more wins.

In the first episode of Hard Knocks, defensive coordinator Shane Bowen mentioned the importance of the linebackers in his system. Bowen said his base defense is three down linemen, two edge defenders, two linebackers, and four defensive backs. Head coach Daboll seemed eager to show GM Joe Schoen Bowen’s impressive run defense statistics.

If the linebacker position is the fulcrum of Bowen’s defense, the Giants are in solid hands with Okereke and Micah McFadden. Okereke recorded 149 tackles, which ranked him ninth in the NFL, according to ESPN, and he also had 11 tackles for a loss and 10 passes defended.

McFadden significantly improved in his second season. He must, however, clean up his missed tackle rate, which was at a ridiculously high 20.7% in 2023, ranking fourth highest in the NFL. The retention of Isaiah Simmons was a quality move, but his skills won’t be maximized unless he can operate in sub-packages throughout the entirety of a game; unfortunately, the Giants’ offensive struggles last year rendered the Giants’ defense to defending the run in the latter half of games. Simmons operating outside the box on rushing downs and in a niche — yet important — role is likely the best way to employ his diverse skill set.

Key losses: Cam Brown
Key additions: Darius Muasau, Matthew Adams

Why the Giants might be better

The Giants retained every linebacker who played defensive snaps last season after resigning Simmons and Carter Coughlin. The latter, and the now departed Cam Brown, primarily were special teams assets whose snaps could be replaced by sixth-round pick out of UCLA Darius Muasau.

Muasau can potentially play more than just a special teams role. He showed incredible football IQ at UCLA. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him earn snaps at some point, despite his stature of 5-foot-11, 225 pounds (7th percentile height; 5th percentile weight), and his average athletic ability.

Still, the job next to Okereke is Micah McFadden’s to lose. It took McFadden a little while to get comfortable in Martindale’s scheme. He was benched in his first season after a few mistakes against Green Bay, and then his active roster spot was taken in the playoffs by Jared Davis, who the Giants claimed off Detroit’s practice squad.

McFadden has developed since his rookie season, but transitioning to a new defense could pose an issue. If that is the case — or if injuries strike the Giants — New York has Muasau waiting in the wings instead of just special teams’ aces.

Coughlin will now be joined on special teams by Matthew Adams. Adams, at 28 years old, has just under 2,000 career special teams snaps. He has 32 career special teams tackles, and he had 10 last season, one more than Coughlin’s nine. Adams has 619 career defensive snaps with the Browns, Bears, and the Colts.

Bowen discussed Simmons’ role in his defense during the first Hard Knocks episode. Bowen envisioned Simmons having a first and second-down nickel role and playing as a money linebacker (hybrid safety/second-level defender) on the third down. Simmons could also be used as an edge defender in certain packages.

Why the Giants might be worse

There’s no guarantee that the current linebacker group will assimilate and learn Shane Bowen’s defense. From a personnel standpoint, the Giants only lost a special teams player in Brown, who saw three defensive snaps through two seasons in Wink Martindale’s defense. Jarad Davis was hurt all last season, Okereke played every defensive snap, and the Giants used a lot of sub-packages that left only one linebacker on the field.

McFadden played 736 snaps. He progressed, but must clean up his missed tackles. If McFadden struggles, will Muasau or special teamer Matthew Adams be able to play a base role effectively?

Roster projection

Locks: Bobby Okereke, Micah McFadden, Isaiah Simmons
On the bubble: Darius Muasau, Matthew Adams, Carter Coughlin
Long shots: Darrian Beavers, Dyontae Johnson

Final thoughts

The top three linebackers were retained from last season. There were changes in depth and with some special teams players, but the position corps remains in a different scheme. The Giants’ linebacking group is marginally better than it was last year. There are contingency plans if something happens to the top two linebackers. I’m avoiding delusions of grandeur with Muasau, but he did flash enough at UCLA to suggest he could have a solid return on investment for a sixth-round pick. Hopefully, the Giants can employ Simmons more suitably than last season, for his hybrid presence could pay dividends.