Giants 2022 UFA Primer: ILB Reggie Ragland

Reggie Ragland, LB

Height: 6’2”
Weight: 252 lbs.
Age: 28
NFL Exp.: 6 seasons
College: Alabama

The New York Giants signed free-agent linebacker Reggie Ragland to a one-year deal worth just over $1 million, including a signing bonus of $137,500 last off-season.

Ragland stepped in when Blake Martinez was lost in Week 3 with a torn ACL, starting six straight games for the Giants. But as the season went on, Ragland saw his snap count reduced, ultimately losing snaps to Benardrick McKinney mid-way through the season and, toward the end, Jaylon Smith. Ragland finished his first season as a Giant, having started in nine of the 17 games played.

2021 Recap

After Blake Martinez tore his ACL in Week 3, Ragland paired with Tae Crowder. He finished with 67 total tackles (38 solos) to go along with 25 stops (5th on the team) and six quarterback pressures. This was the first season Ragland had 60+ combined tackles since 2018 when he was a member of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Where Ragland struggled was in coverage. Ragland posted the worst reception percentage on the team (86.7) amongst all Giant defenders who had a total of 11 targets or more. Ragland was also slow to get to the ball or took poor angles.

Ragland did manage to secure a career-high two pass deflections and recorded only his second career fumble recovery. Although he was a liability in coverage, Ragland did have some value in certain sub-packages.

Giants 2022 UFA Primer: ILB Reggie Ragland / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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Why Giants Should Keep Him

From his durability to his effort, Ragland was there for his team every week. At only 28-years-old, Ragland is in the midst of his physical prime and offers six seasons of experience that just so happen to include a Super Bowl title run with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019 under former Giants’ defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

With the Giants inside linebacker unit likely to undergo some tweaks this off-season, Ragland’s experience, and talent might be enticing enough to warrant an invitation to camp to compete if he’s agreeable to another one-year Minimum Salary Benefit contract.

Why Giants Shouldn’t Keep Him

Ragland’s pass defense was a liability—he allowed 26 receptions on 30 targets, often taking poor angles in coverage. Despite some improvement from the Giants’ pass defense as a whole in the second half of the season—the unit finished 15th in passing yards per game (225.8)--bringing back Ragland might not be in the cards if the Giants intend to further improve their second-level pass defense.

Keep or Dump?

Ragland's veteran presence is undoubtedly a feather in his cap. Still, beyond that, his spotty pass defense to his inability to execute tackles closer to the line of scrimmage likely means the Giants will look elsewhere for help at inside linebacker.

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