lorezno carter

The biggest problem for the New York Giants in 2020

by
New York Giants, Dave Gettleman

Aside from putting the 2020 NFL Draft in the hands of New York Giants GM Dave Gettleman, free agency is the factor we should be more concerned about. Gettleman has been atrocious in picking up quality free agents that produce in a starting manner. The Odell Beckham Jr. trade worked out quite well, but his pickups off the market have not contributed in the ways most hoped.

To name a few — Patrick Omameh, Jonathan Stewart, Nate Solder, Mike Remmers, Antoine Bethea, Josh Mauro, Kareem Martin, the list goes on. A majority of his signings were tailored to help defensive coordinator James Bettcher smooth over the transition to his 3-4 scheme, however, those plans halted due to injury and a youth agenda that crippled the efficiency of the team.

Focusing on rebuilding through the draft was a priority from the get-go, and Gettleman has done well at some positions, including wide receiver with Darius Slayton, linebacker with Ryan Connelly, running back, quarterback, and several others. It’s his mid-round picks that have stumbled out of the gate and struggled to reach their potential.

Players like Lorenzo Carter, BJ Hill, Will Hernandez, Oshane Ximines, R.J. McIntosh, Kyle Lauletta (not on the team anymore), have all failed to see significant growth in their second or rookie seasons. Ximines is the outlier from the group, considering him being a recent draft pick, but he hasn’t made a significant impact on the defense, despite fighting for reps.

What’s the biggest problem for the New York Giants?

Gettleman is more successful in the draft than he is in free agency, and giving him over $80 million to spend could result in a slew of bad decisions, which is one of my primary concerns. Also, the lack of desire to join a rebuilding Giants team with no identity will force Gettleman to overpay significantly for good players, making that $80 million in available cap-space look more like $50 million.

With reinforcements needed on the offensive line, defensive line, secondary after the cutting of Janoris Jenkins, and linebacker positions, that cap-space will be filled up quickly.

New York Giants putting all their chips in on Lorenzo Carter to break out

by
New York Giants, Lorenzo Carter

The New York Giants took an interesting path this offseason as they failed to address the pass-rusher position with elite talent. First, the Giants signed former Arizona Cardinal Markus Golden, a player that’s three-years removed from a good season, second, they passed on Josh Allen out of Kentucky with the 6th overall pick in favor of Daniel Jones, and third, GM Dave Gettleman waited until the third round to draft an outside linebacker, Oshane Ximines.

The reality is, they’re putting a lot of hope and confidence into second-year player, Lorenzo Carter. The former Bulldog had an up-and-down rookie campaign, tallying 42 combined tackles, seven tackles for a loss, 10 QB hits, four sacks, and four passes defended.

One thing that stood out to me was the diversity of his statistics. He tackled well, recorded sacks, and batted down balls at the line of scrimmage. His multi-faceted approach gives us reason to believe he will break out in 2019.

New York Giants are excited about Lorenzo Carter:

The Giants are certainly expecting him to be their top pass-rusher, a tall expectation to live up to, but defense coordinator James Bettcher stated he seems to be  “rushing with a plan” this spring.

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Carter is a lanky edge-rusher that will line up outside the opposing offense’s tackle position, which will allow him to utilize his bend and speed around the edge. Again, the Giants are betting all their chips on Carter to have a great season, which generally indicates they’re still in the midst of a rebuild.

Not having a trusted pass-rusher leaves plenty of concern on the table, and I imagine they will use some of the cap-space gained back next year to bring in a high-profile player to accompany Carter and Ximines. At this point, though, it will be a developmental year for the duo with Carter being the highlighted option.