Giants Country

Rakeem Nunez-Roches: The Good, the Great, and the Ugly

Coach Gene Clemons takes a look at the strengths and weaknesses of new defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches's game.
Gene Clemons|
Rakeem Nunez-Roches: The Good, the Great, and the Ugly
Rakeem Nunez-Roches: The Good, the Great, and the Ugly

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New York Giants

Last season the New York Giants run defense was near the bottom in every statistical category that mattered. Despite All-Pro caliber play by Dexter Lawrence and another quality season by Leonard Williams, the depth behind those two was not up to the caliber of other elite interior groups in the NFL.

The signing of unrestricted free agent Rakeen Nunez-Roches represents the Giants' understanding that it needed to improve in the trenches. Nunez-Roches is a proven run-stopper who plays with a swagger and a high motor. He seems to embody the work hard and have fun doing it mentality that this Giants team has adopted under head coach Brian Daboll.

The Good: Motor

Nunez-Roches has an A-plus motor for an interior defensive lineman. You rarely catch him with his feet still--he is constantly moving and pursuing the ball. This allows him to get in on plays that other interior linemen don't make because they feel like their job is done once their gap is covered. 

Nunez-Roches uses that motor to chase plays from behind and make tackles if or when the ball carrier cuts back. He also uses it to string plays out in the run game.

The longer a ball carrier can't turn upfield, the better the chance that they will be met by several defenders when they do. Even though pass rushing is not his strength, his relentless pursuit can sometimes open up benefits for others to take advantage of.

The Great: Double Team Defense

One of the marks of a quality interior lineman is the ability to withstand double-team blocks. Offenses use double teams to open holes in the defense, which allows running backs to get downhill quickly or other blockers to enter (pull and wrap) and block second-level defenders.

Nunez-Roches is great at dealing with double teams. Although he is not the biggest interior lineman, his active feet and low center of gravity, thanks to a 6-foot-2 frame, make him hard to deal with. 

He plays well with his hands, which allows him to detach from blockers and make plays at the point of attack. In his role as a rotational defensive tackle with the ability to start, it means it is hard to get him worn down in a game.

He perfectly complements Williams and especially Lawrence, who logged too many snaps to be his most productive. Nunez-Roches can provide elite-level relief as a run defender.

The Ugly: Pass Rushing

As a pass rusher, Nunez-Rochez leaves a lot to be desired, and it is a mystery why. Shorter defensive tackles tend to use leverage to beat blockers on the inside with a superior bull rush, but he does not utilize a bull rush. 

He detaches well against the run block but not in his pass rush. In addition to all of the traits that should work in his favor, his motor causes some disruption in the backfield but does not end in sacks. It is a strange thing, but it can not be ignored. He has only produced three and a half sacks over his eight seasons in the NFL.

Final Thoughts

There's no doubt that Nunez-Roches should help next season. This past season for the Buccaneers was his best to date. He recorded a career-high 33 tackles, 19 solo tackles, and two sacks.

He also tied his personal best in tackles for loss at five. He'll be just past 30 when the 2023 season opens, and he has the chance to be a part of this Giants' defensive line for seasons to come. 

Published
Gene Clemons
GENE CLEMONS

Gene "Coach" Clemons has been involved with the game of football for 30 years as a player, coach, evaluator, and journalist.  Clemons has spent time writing for the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, Bridgton News, Urbana Daily Citizen, Macon Telegraph and footballgameplan.com.  He has a YouTube channel called "Coach Gene Clemons" where you can find his popular "X&O The Joes" series as well as other football related content. 

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