New York Giants Rookie Linebacker Cam Brown Could See Bigger Role on Defense
The New York Giants defense took a hit last week after losing weakside linebacker Oshane Ximines to a shoulder injury and strongside linebacker Lorenzo Carter to an Achilles injury.
Replacing Ximines is probably a bit easier since the Giants have Markus Golden and Kyler Fackrell, both predominantly weakside linebackers, already on the roster.
For the strongside, though, keep an eye on rookie Cam Brown finally getting some defensive snaps.
Brown, the Giants’ sixth-round draft out of Penn State, has thus far made his mark on special teams, where he has two assisted tackles so far on the unit. One of his roles has been as the strongside gunner, where he’s faced (and beaten) double-team blocks.
Brown’s special teams experience has served the youngster well.
“He’s a guy who’s really coming into his own in the kicking game,” head coach Joe Judge said.
“I think the one thing about special teams for young players is that it allows them to learn and adjust to the speed of the game and the physicality. And just the reactionary instincts they have to develop within the game that transfers to offense and defense as well.”
The 6’5”, 234-pound Brown played in 51 total games, with 26 starts for Penn State, where he earned 3rd Team All-Big 10 and was voted a team captain. Brown recorded 198 tackles in four seasons, including 14.5 for a loss, and forced four fumbles.
As a pass rusher, he recorded 41 total pressures at Penn State, 17 coming in his final season. In coverage, he recorded 11 passes defensed, using his long wingspan to get his arms up into the passing lanes to knock down balls.
Brown is a long, rangy linebacker with more than enough athleticism to cover a lot of ground while effortlessly change direction without losing a step.
His long arms keep blockers from latching on and overpowering him in space, though at the point of attack, one of the concerns with Brown was whether he had enough functional strength to avoid being washed out in the run game.
Brown is also still developing his instincts in terms of anticipating and diagnosing blocks and is still a bit of a work in progress in terms of his coverage ability.
He needs to improve his balance as there have been times while on special teams he’s been knocked off his feet, but there is certainly enough to like about his game, including his explosiveness.
“He’s had some good exposure through the first five weeks of playing and having seen some fast-paced ball in front of him. That should help probably him on defense eventually. We’ll practice him this week—he’s always been practicing those roles anyway—and we’ll see where it leads us by the game plan.”
