Giants Re-Sign Special Teamer/Linebacker Carter Coughlin
New York Giants linebacker Carter Coughlin, a seventh-round pick in 2020 who has found a home on special teams, is returning to the Giants for at least another season, he announced on his Instagram account.
The Giants have prioritized good special teams players early on in free agency, re-signing long snapper Casey Kreiter and punt returner Gunner Olszewski before bringing back Coughlin, who led the Giants with nine special teams tackles last year.
The Giants’ special teams unit hasn’t been very good in the last few seasons, which led to the dismissal of former coordinator Thomas McGaughey. New special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial, formerly of the Jets, clearly sees the value in keeping a few key players, Coughlin being one of them.
Coughlin has appeared in over 85% of snaps each year since 2021. Outside of his rookie season, he has barely seen the field on defense, playing in just 47 total defensive snaps since 2021. However, he was never favored in a crowded outside linebacker room, especially once Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari began taking most reps at that position.
In four seasons with the Giants, Coughlin has recorded 41 tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. The majority of those stats came in 2020 when Coughlin appeared in a career-high 20 percent of defensive snaps.
