New York Giants Ink ILB Reggie Ragland to 1-Year Deal

The Giants bolstered their depth at inside linebacker after cutting ties with David Mayo and Devante Downs.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Mar 18, 2021 10:22 PM EDT

The Giants continued adding depth to their roster, this time on the defensive side of the ball with the addition of inside linebacker Reggie Ragland, who joins them from the Detroit Lions.

Ragland is well-known among the Giants brass, particularly new personnel man Kyle O’Brien, who worked with the Lions for five years before coming to the Giants this spring. Ragland also played his college ball at Alabama, where of course, head coach Joe Judge has ties to ‘Bama’s head coach Nick Saban.

Ragland is probably best described as a downhill thumper who holds his own against the run. Last year for the Lions, he recorded 51 total tackles with four tackles for loss (according to official league statistics).

Coverage has been another story. Lacking ideal sped to keep up with tight ends and running backs out of the backfield. Ragland, who had a 119.2 NFL coverage rating last year (a career-high), allowed 15 out of 20 passes to be completed for 182 yards and one touchdown.

The Skinny

In four years at Alabama, Ragland amassed 220 tackles, 117 solos, and 17.5 for a loss. He also had four sacks and an interception in 38 games played.

Ragland was a second-round pick by the Bills in the 2016 draft but didn’t play a down for them because he tore his ACL during training camp.

After being released the following summer, he went to the Chiefs in 2017, where he played for three seasons. Last year, he joined the Lions. Altogether, Ragland has appeared in 58 games with 38 starts and has 212 total tackles (130 solos), 14 tackles for loss, seven quarterback hits, 3.5 sacks, and one interception as a pro.

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Scouting Report

Here’s what Vito Chirco, writer at Fan Nation’s All Lions, had to say about Ragland and the role he had in his one season with Detroit:

Ragland was a nice under-the-radar acquisition by the previous Detroit regime an offseason ago.
He provided a solid veteran presence to a linebackers group that underachieved for most of the 2020 campaign. He suited up for all 16 games (made six starts) and finished with 52 total tackles, four tackles for loss, three QB hits, and one forced fumble. It was a productive season from the 27-year-old in a largely reserve role.

Where He Fits

The Giants drafted four linebackers last year, all of whom will get a chance to compete. But in Ragland, they add another player to pair with Blake Martinez in the base defense if he should beat out incumbent Tae Crowder for the role.

Again, Ragland isn’t an every-down linebacker. You won’t see him on the field on obvious passing downs. You should see him, though, on first and second downs, goal line, and short-yardage (if he makes the team).