One of the New York Giants’ goals this offseason is to bolster their sagging pass rush and re-signing one their own free agents would go a long way in assisting that effort.
Markus Golden, who the the Giants signed to a one-year ‘show-me’ deal last March, did just that by returning to the form he showed earlier in his career as the Giants had hoped.
Golden led the club in sacks with 10 and QB hits (27). He more than ‘showed’ the Giants he was worth inking to a long term deal.
But will they be able to retain him? Golden is set to hit the open market and will get some love from teams seeking an edge rusher, but it is also believed that the market may not treat him with the respect he deserves. That could play into the Giants’ favor as he is being viewed as underrated.
DE Markus Golden (New York Giants)
Golden hasn’t been nearly as steady as (Eagles RB Jordan) Howard, but he’s got a similar story in terms of durability and team swaps lowering his perceived value, going from promising pass-rushing prospect — complete with a 12.5-sack breakout in 2016 — to an Arizona Cardinals castoff, forced into a one-year prove-it deal with the 2019 New York Giants.
The Giants’ 2019 defense, of course, was nothing short of awful for much of the year, and Golden returning to double-digit sacks (10) as a full-time starter for Big Blue has been overshadowed by the fact he missed 17 games from 2017-2018. But if you’re looking for a high-upside edge presence, especially as part of an already-solid rotation, you could do a heck of a lot worse. The fact he looked a lot like his 2016 self in New York after all the injury woes should be reason alone to give him a look, and he went long stretches as arguably the most consistent piece of the Giants’ defense.
Golden is just 28 and if he remains injury-free, appears to be a must-have for this Giants’ defense. But that was under former defensive coordinator James Bettcher, who is no longer with the Giants. How the new coaching staff views Golden is unknown, as is the defensive scheme they plan to run.
Golden may not be a fit for the Giants any longer and if they have to get into a bidding war for him, he could end up signing elsewhere. He’s best on a 3-4 setting, but the Giants could be leaning more towards a 4-3 alignment under new DC Patrick Graham.
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