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The New York Giants defense is a much-talked-about unit with coordinator Wink Martindale at the helm and stars such as nose tackle Dexter Lawrence, edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux and safety Xavier McKinney.
But, actually, how good are they?
Last year, in Martindale’s first with the team, the Giants finished 25th out of 32 in total defense. Against the run, they were 27th (144.2 yards per game) but were 14th versus the pass.
The Giants surrendered an average of 21.8 points per game (18th overall) and 13 of their 17 games were decided by eight points or less.
This year, they added some important pieces at inside linebacker (Bobby Okereke) and cornerback (first-round pick Deonte Banks) as well as along the defensive line.
That may not be enough to improve the unit in some eyes. The folks at Pro Football Network think the Giants haven’t done enough to move the needle on defense this offseason. They have them ranked at No. 29.
The Giants had a glaring hole at cornerback that they fixed with Deonte Banks, but they still have work to do at that position and safety. Without a strong projected unit at linebacker and only a modest pass rush despite the excellent names there, there’s reason to believe the Giants will stay about the same defensively.
What’s not taken into account are the massive games lost by starters to injury. Edge rusher Azeez Ojulari was hobbled by a calf injury all season and McKinney suffered an off-the-field injury that sent the Giants’ secondary into disarray.
2023 should be less eventful on the injury front and the unit should take a step forward, not backward.
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