The New York Giants are in the process of retooling their pass rush this offseason and some interesting choices still await them. It was once a forgone conclusion that they would be hot to re-sign Markus Golden, who racked up 10.0 sacks for them last season.
Thus far, that has not been the case. In fact, Golden’s market has been relatively cold. Even the Giants have seemingly steered clear, signing Green Bay outside linebacker Kyler Fackrell to a look-see contract instead of making Golden an offer.
“The Giants signed Fackrell to a one-year deal worth $4.6 million and seem to view him as a potential replacement for Golden, who remains available in the second week of free agency,” writes NJ Advance Media’s Matt Lombardo.
“The Giants are betting that Fackrell, who played under Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham when Graham was the Packers’ linebackers coach, yields similar or stronger returns this season than Golden did under Bettcher last year. They have plenty of reason to be optimistic.”
Like Golden, Fackrell is a player who exhibited a high rate of production when given more snaps, just like Golden did in Arizona. Both players were beset by injuries which forced them into either inactivity and reduced snaps or a position change.
Will the addition of Fackrell preclude the Giants from pursuing Golden this spring if he remains unsigned? The answer is unknown. Like everything else, it will all come down to economics.
At least for now, all we know is that the Giants are quietly monitoring Golden’s market.
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