Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Unit Review | Help Wanted at Inside Linebacker
Every so often, a team gets fortunate with its draft picks in Rounds 5 and beyond.
The Giants, in 2019, got lucky twice, striking gold with receiver Darius Slayton on offense and inside linebacker Ryan Connelly on defense.
Alas, Connelly, who finally delivered the kind of play from the off-ball linebacker spot that the Giants haven't had since arguably the days of Antonio Pierce, was lost to a torn ACL in Week 4, a devastating blow to the team and the defense in general. Before that injury,
Connelly, who entered the lineup in Week 2, was playing some solid defense, especially against the run, this largely thanks to Connelly's ability to diagnose plays in a snap and attack the line of scrimmage simultaneously.
How good was Connelly against the run? In 84 run defense snaps, he recorded eight stops for zero or negative yards, a 9.5 run-stop percentage that was third among the Giants inside linebackers. Instrumental to Connelly's effectiveness is how there was no hesitation and no wasted steps, which helped him to play a lot faster than people realized.
On the opposite end of the spectrum was veteran Alec Ogletree. Ogletree was at his best when asked to blitz, but when it came to coverage and run defenses, he looked like he was on his last legs.
Whether that was due to an early-season hamstring injury is up for debate, but there just seemed to be no sign of things improving in his play, which again calls into question just how badly he was ailing out there.
What can't be blamed on the hamstring were the poor reads against the run, a trend that saw Ogletree gamble a little too often for our tastes--and lose. Ogletree's play was, in fact, the very opposite of the disciplined approach Connelly took, and the results showed.
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Where Do They Go From Here?
Very simply, the Giants need to add to this position, and not just for the sake of numbers, but playmakers who have sideline to sideline speed and some semblance of coverage ability.
Connelly is expected back in 2020, but as we have seen so many times before, when it comes to guys trying to return from ACL injuries, it can take more than a year before they look like their old selves physically.
One possible solution might be to bring back David Mayo, who has ties to Dave Gettleman from their days at Carolina, on a veteran minimum deal.
Mayo was solid against the run, finishing with 80 tackles and showing exceptional discipline and physicality against the run. As a two-down linebacker, there could be a role for Mayo on the team not just on defense but also on special teams, where he also contributed in 2019.
Where Mayo comes up short though is in coverage due to average mobility. Although he had the best coverage rating of the three Giants off-ball linebackers who had at least 100 coverage snaps (97.7, per Pro Football Focus), Mayo could care out a role for himself on the run defense and special teams, and would likely be an affordable veteran option.
The Bottom Line
The Giants need to shake up this group and add some quality talent. Connelly is a good start, and they might have something in Josiah Tauefa, an undrafted free agent who began the year on the practice squad and finished it on the 53-man roster, but beyond that, the cupboard is bare and ins in need of a talent infusion.
