Ezekiel Ansah

The most glaring weakness on the New York Giants roster is their pass-rush unit — consisting of Oshane Ximines, Lorenzo Carter, Kyler Fackrell, and possibly Markus Golden, who was hit with a free-agent tenure he has yet to sign. The Giants cannot feel completely secure at outside linebacker. Ultimately, they will have to upgrade this unit in the future if they wish to compete at a high-level.

However, the 2020 season is meant to refine their youngsters and continue rebuilding. I imagine in 2021 they will be a more competitive team and have higher expectations, which attest to their one year deal with Fackrell. This upcoming season, though, represents a potentially problematic situation in terms of putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks and disrupting the pocket.

The Giants are putting a lot of pressure on their interior defense of line, consisting of Leonard Williams, Dexter Lawrence, and Dalvin Tomlinson. They are expected to collapse the interior and force quarterbacks to make quick decisions. If any of the three players get injured or underperform, they could be in big trouble.

Of course, it would be ignorant to disregard players like Ximines, who posted 4.5 sacks over 45% of defensive snaps in 2019. Then there are players like Fackrell, who has experience with new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham as his linebackers coach in Green Bay. Fackrell post to 10.5 sacks in 2018, and Graham will be looking to replicate those numbers in New York.

The New York Giants could still look to free agency to bolster the unit:

This is where Ezekiel Ansah enters the frame. As a free agent formally playing for the Detroit Lions, Ansah has posted solid production in the past. While he posted a 12 sack performance in 2017, he’s coming off of two disappointing years. The potential is there, and a change in scheme could unlock some talent. Being two years removed from a 17 quarterback hit and 12 sack season might seem like a long time, but if the Giants could lock him into a team-friendly deal, he could be productive.

The argument against signing Ezekiel would be the youth currently on the roster and the loss of reps due to his presence. Allowing Ximines and third-year player Lorenzo Carter to rotate and develop their abilities is more beneficial than adding Ansah on a one-year deal. If they do end up losing Golden in free agency, this might be more attractive, but for now, the Giants should sit still and wait.

With free agency officially beginning on Wednesday, the New York Giants had already spent a significant amount of their available cap-space in the two days prior. Now, they sit with approximately $10-11 million left in space, and with their new front-loaded contracts mentality, their wiggle room is cut significantly.

However, there are still ways they can open up cap space, for example, restructuring Nate Solder’s contract and rescinding the franchise tag on Leonard Williams to extend him on a multi-year deal with less money per season.

The way GM Dave Gettleman is structuring new free-agent contracts indicates that the team is looking to improve gradually and cut their losses after two seasons. They signed very similar three-year deals across the board with James Bradberry, David Mayo, and Blake Martinez, allowing them to re-evaluate after year two and move on with low dead cap hits if need be.

What pass rushers are available for the New York Giants?

Money seems to be the primary factor holding the Giants back from investing in a big-time pass rusher. With the ability to move money around and open up space, they may invest in a more cost-efficient option like Jordan Jenkin. Everson Griffen, or Ezekiel Ansah.

Ansah is an intriguing option, as he’s coming off two back-to-back down years after posting a 12-sack performance in 2017. He struggled to reach his potential with the Seattle Seahawks in 2019 but has proven he can be a great player at specific times. In 2017, he logged 17 QB hits along with his 12 sacks. The Giant could land him on a team-friendly, one-year, prove-it deal to allow him to cash in in 2020.

Griffen is another exciting player who could be available for a better price than Jadeveon Clowney, who’s reportedly seeking $20 million in free agency. At 32-years-old, Griffen posted 8.0 sacks in 2019 with 24 QB hits. He’s a fantastic player to consider but is traditionally a defensive end.

Alternatively, the Giants can look to the draft for pass rush health as they have a high second-round pick that could land them a talented player with high upside.