Training Camp Preview - LB Tae Crowder

Tae Crowder, last year's "Mr. Irrelevant," turned out to be a pleasant surprise when he managed to earn snaps at the other inside linebacker spot next to Blake Martinez and hold his own at the position. Can Crowder hold on to his starting job this year?

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
May 31, 2021 4:39 PM EDT

New York Giants linebacker Tae Crowder, last year's "Mr. Irrelevant," was the very definition of a player who over-delivered on expectations during his rookie season.

All the former Georgia linebacker managed to do was give the Giants the type of athletic inside linebacker play they’ve been missing. Crowder took over for Devante Downs, the starter at the beginning of the season, and held off David Mayo, who had seen prior snaps as a starter.

Crowder's coming-out party came in Week 6 in the Giants' first win of the season against Washington, where the then-rookie recorded ten total tackles (his heaviest workload game of the season) and a 43-yard fumble return for a touchdown.

Unfortunately, Crowder found himself on injured reserve when he pulled a hamstring. However, he returned in Week 12 and picked up where he had left off, with some solid football. That included an 11-tackle performance against the Cowboys in Week 17.

What He Brings

The 6'3", 235-pound Crowder has better than average speed for the position that, when paired with good football instincts, has allowed him to play the game a lot faster than one might expect from a seventh-round draft pick.

Crowder is also a smart, disciplined player who runs with a plan and a purpose rather than simply running himself into plays. He's disciplined to where he seldom gets fooled by play action or misdirection plays, and he almost always comes up with the right reads against the run.

Crowder also has enough sideline to sideline speed plus a quick first step to where thoughts of him being more than just the occasional blitzer are intriguing.

Where can he get better? Several areas. First, hopefully he's improved his strength as this will help him wrap up on his tackles rather than fall off them.

Speaking of tackling, Crowder showed a habit last year of reaching for guys rather than taking shorter angles that allowed him to use his entire body rather than simply reaching with his arms in closing down on ball carriers.

Crowder has room to grow, and it makes one wonder how much better he can become as he gains more reps, more experience, and more refinement of his techniques.

His Contract

Crowder is in the second of his four-year rookie contract, a deal worth $3,370,492. He'll count for $798,873 against this year's cap. In the unlikely event he doesn't make the 53-man roster, he would yield a $780,000 savings with $18,873 in dead money landing on the Giants 2021 cap and the balance ($37,746) accelerating into 2022's cap.

Roster Projection/Expectations

Although head coach Joe Judge doesn't believe in setting depth charts during training camp, it would be surprising if Crowder isn't the incumbent.

Whether he holds off the competition--Carter Coughlin is probably the most serious threat to his role as a starter--remains to be seen, but it would be surprising if there isn't a role for Crowder on this roster, even if it's in sub-packages.

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