[jwplayer XxxCES6k]
One of the key moves the New York Giants made this year was to apply the rarely-used unrestricted free agent tender on veteran outside linebacker Markus Golden.
Golden entered free agency seeking a deal that would pay him in the neighborhood of $10 million per year. In late April, he was still on the market. That is when the Giants adroitly slapped the UFA tender on him, meaning that if he didn’t find a suitor by July 22, his rights would revert back to the Giants.
And that’s exactly what happened.
Golden, the Giants’ 2019 sack leader (10), was re-signed to a one-year, $5.1 million contract on August 5 and is now back in the fold. He joins free agent addition Kyler Fackrell and last year’s third round pick Oshane Ximines as the key cogs in the Giants’ pass rushing unit.
First year outside linebacker coach Bret Bielema is also thankful for the Giants bringing Golden back. His job got a bit easier upon Golden’s return.
Bielema has known of Golden since his their college days, when Bielema was the head coach at Arkansas and Golden a star defender at Missouri.
“First, it’s been awesome for me. I’ve been a fan of Markus for a long time,” said Bielema. “Unfortunately, I had to play against him in college, and then saw his career grow and got to know a little bit about him over the last few months. He’s been awesome in the room. His voice, he’s got that personality. He’s been a really nice addition to our room. I think because nobody was allowed on the field, it really wasn’t that far of a catch-up factor.
“MG, really, the thing I appreciate about him, he just wants more and more and more and more. So, I kept feeding it to him. I’ve been able to have some individual meetings as well, so he’s been a real pleasure to be around.”
The Giants have gone from having few options at edge rusher to having several. They are expecting Golden to be retake the lead, but Fackrell is a very capable player as well. Then there is Ximines, who the team sees as a potential breakout player this season.
Bielema has been working with each player individually to hone their skills further.
“You see Markus on film, what he brings to the table,” Bielema said. “But each one of these guys has been really good for me to now be around them for a couple of weeks and see what their strengths are.
“All I try to do, we have a giant tool box sitting there. Everybody’s tool box is different. The more tools we can add for them, the more things we can do. Maybe it’s how they do a certain look, how they place their hands, a countermove. Most natural pass rushers, it’s not their first move, it’s their second move. To build a little bit of a repertoire with each one of those guys on what their strengths, minimize their weaknesses then hopefully having great results on game days.”
[lawrence-related id=654523,654519,654516]