Tag: Jaylon Smith

Dexter Lawrence, Andrew Thomas were highest-graded Giants in Week 4

Pro Football Focus grades are out and Dexter Lawrence and Andrew Thomas led the way for the New York Giants in Week 4.

The New York Giants picked up a 20-12 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday and continue to be led by the same core group of players.

Nose tackle Dexter Lawrence once again earned the team’s highest grade courtesy of Pro Football Focus, checking in with a 92.7. Those who followed him on the defensive side of the ball were linebacker Jaylon Smith (83.8), and cornerbacks Fabian Moreau (74.1) and Darnay Holmes (70.5).

Other notable defensive grades include linebacker Tae Crowder (69.9), edge rusher Azeez Ojulari (63.6) and rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux (58.5).

The Giants’ lowest-graded defenders were defensive end Henry Mondeaux (30.5) and linebacker Micah McFadden (28.7).

Offensively, left tackle Andrew Thomas continued his domination with an 87.0. He was followed by quarterback Daniel Jones (85.8), and tight ends Chris Myarick (73.9) and Daniel Bellinger (73.0).

Other notable grades on offense include running back Saquon Barkley (62.1), wide receiver Kenny Golladay (58.7) and right tackle Evan Neal (51.8).

The lowest-graded players on offense were offensive tackle Devery Hamilton (48.5) and quarterback Tyrod Taylor (47.3).

The highest-graded special teams player was Carter Coughlin (74.2).

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbx61yex5whq8aq player_id=none image=https://giantswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[lawrence-related id=698540,698511,698516]

[listicle id=698531]

Giants defeat Bears: Winners, losers and those in between

The New York Giants defeated the Chicago Bears, 20-12, on Sunday and here are the winners and losers (and those in between) from the game.

The New York Giants defeated the Chicago Bears, 20-12, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday. The win improved their record to 3-1 for the first time since 2011 under head coach Tom Coughlin.

Here are some winners, losers and in-betweens from the Week 4 game.

Giants sign LB Jaylon Smith to practice squad

The New York Giants have signed LB Jaylon Smith, who spent four weeks with the team last year, to the practice squad.

The New York Giants are reuniting with linebacker Jaylon Smith.

Smith’s agent, Doug Hendrickson, revealed on Monday evening that the veteran will return to the Giants. He will join the team’s practice squad.

Smith was a second-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in the 2016 NFL draft. However, he spent his rookie season on injured reserve after tearing two ligaments in his knee while playing in the Fiesta Bowl as a member of Notre Dame.

In 2017, Smith returned to the field and has not missed another game due to injury since. He’s appeared in 74 games with 58 starts, recording 536 tackles (330 solo, 21 for a loss), six forced fumbles, 16 QB hits, 10.0 sacks, 21 passes defensed and two interceptions.

Smith was named to the Pro Bowl in 2019.

After being leapfrogged on the roster by Micah Parsons early in 2021, the Cowboys released Smith. He went on to sign with the Green Bay Packers in early October, appeared in two games and then was released in November. The Giants picked him up in mid-December.

Smith appeared in four games (two starts) for the Giants, recording 19 tackles, one QB hit, one sack and one pass defensed.

In order to clear room for Smith, the Giants released offensive lineman KC McDermott from the practice squad.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbx61yex5whq8aq player_id=none image=https://giantswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[lawrence-related id=697589,697572,697535]

[listicle id=697553]

Two Notre Dame defensive players make preseason award watch lists

Watch out for these two players on defense this year.

The preseason award watch lists continue to come out, and Notre Dame continues to be represented. We recently saw numerous Irish players on the offensive side of the ball be named. Now, we’re seeing the defense get its turn. So far, we know that two defenders have been deemed players to watch.

[autotag]JD Bertrand[/autotag]’s 102 tackles led the Irish last season. Now, he’s a contender for the Butkus Award, which is given to the country’s top linebacker. The Irish are developing quite the reputation for winning this award as they have done so three times, all during the past decade: [autotag]Manti Te’o[/autotag] in 2012, [autotag]Jaylon Smith[/autotag] in 2015 and [autotag]Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah[/autotag] in 2020.

[autotag]Brandon Joseph[/autotag] comes to the Irish after three years with Northwestern, and there already are high expectations for him. The 2020 All-American is on the watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award, which is awarded to college football’s best defensive back. He would be the first to win this award for the Irish.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

2022 free agency: Should Giants re-sign these players or let them go?

For the New York Giants, it’s time to look ahead and decisions will soon have to be made on several impending free agents.

The New York Giants and their fans want a clean slate heading into the 2022 season. That means shutting the door on some players that they once considered investing in long-term.

They don’t have many impending free agents to begin with but of the ones they do have, there’s not too many they should be in a hurry to bring back.

Here’s a quick rundown of the players in that group and what action the Giants should take with them.

Ben Bredeson, Andrew Thomas were highest-graded Giants in Week 17

New York Giants offensive linemen Ben Bredeson and Andrew Thomas earned the team’s highest grades in Week 17.

The New York Giants fell to the Chicago Bears, 29-3, in one of their worst performances of the year on Sunday. The game was over after the first play and that set the tone for all four quarters.

There was a lot of bad. A lot of ugly. And there’s no way around that, but there were some positives as well. At least in the mind of those over at Pro Football Focus.

Guard Ben Bredeson led the team with an overall grade of 94.7. He was followed by left tackle Andrew Thomas (79.5), tight end Chris Myarick (67.6) and right tackle Nate Solder (67.4).

Other notable offensive grades include running back Saquon Barkley (66.7), fullback Eli Penny (56.3) and wide receiver Kenny Golladay (53.1).

The lowest-graded Giant on offense was quarterback Mike Glennon (21.4).

On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Jaylon Smith led the way with an overall grade of 78.6. He was followed by linebacker Lorenzo Carter (72.0), defensive lineman Woodrow Hamilton (68.8) and cornerback Adoree’ Jackson (68.0).

Other notable defensive grades include safety Logan Ryan (65.5), cornerback James Bradberry (64.9) and linebacker Azeez Ojulari (61.3).

The lowest-graded Giant on defense was linebacker Reggie Ragland (27.0).

Defensive back Steven Parker was the highest-graded Giant on special teams, checking out with an overall grade of 84.9.

[listicle id=684282]

Giants-Bears Week 17: Offense, defense and special teams snap counts

The New York Giants lost their Week 17 game against the Chicago Bears. Here are the snap counts on offense, defense and special teams.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbx61yex5whq8aq player_id=none image=https://giantswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

The New York Giants had the doors blown off them in Week 17, falling to the Chicago Bears by a score of 29-3 at Soldier Field. It was a game that ended (for the Giants) after the very first play.

It was a new low for the Giants. And that’s saying something considering how poorly the 2021 regular season has gone. Unfortunately, they’ll have one more opportunity to outdo themselves in Week 18 against the Washington Football Team.

But before we look ahead, let’s look back. Here are the snap counts that contributed to the Giants’ latest humiliation.

Offensive snaps: 56
Defensive snaps: 66
Special teams snaps: 23

The Giants did a lot of rotating along the offensive line on Sunday — specifically at left guard where Wes Martin and Ben Bredeson platooned. They also frequently used a jumbo package with Derrick Kelly serving as an extra blocker.

Defensively, with Adoree’ Jackson back in action, Jarren Williams saw a significantly reduced role. Jaylon Smith also appears to be taking snaps away from other linebackers — he took 70% of all defensive snaps.

[vertical-gallery id=684167]

Giants fall to Bears: Winners, losers and those in between

Here are the winners, losers and those in between from the New York Giants’ Week 17 loss to the Chicago Bears.

It’s difficult to find any silver linings in this lost New York Giants season, but we’ll try. The Giants’ offense just be the worst I’ve seen in my 56 years of following this franchise.

Here are some winners, losers and some in-betweens from the Week 17 loss to the Bears in Chicago.

Logan Ryan, James Bradberry were highest-graded Giants in Week 16

Logan Ryan and James Bradberry were the highest-graded New York Giants in Week 16, and Devontae Booker graded out well, too.

The New York Giants were completely dismantled by the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16. The final score of 34-10 does not properly explain just how poorly the Giants played across the board.

But, as usual, there were at least a few needles in the haystack; a few players who performed at a higher level than their teammates.

Safety Logan Ryan was one of those players, earning a team-high grade of 80.5 courtesy of Pro Football Focus. He was followed closely by cornerbacks James Bradberry (75.1) and Jarren Williams (74.4).

Other notable defensive grades include linebacker Lorenzo Carter (66.5), defensive lineman Leonard Williams (60.8) and linebacker Jaylon Smith (52.8).

The lowest-graded Giants on defense were defensive lineman Raymond Johnson III (26.7) and linebacker Benardrick McKinney (25.2).

On the other side of the football, running back Devontae Booker led the way with a grade of 70.4. Behind Booker were wide receiver Kadarius Toney (69.0), right guard Will Hernandez (66.3) and left tackle Andrew Thomas (66.0).

Other notable offensive grades include running back Saquon Barkley (58.8), tight end Evan Engram (58.2) and wide receiver Kenny Golladay (55.8).

The lowest-graded Giants on offense were quarterbacks Mike Glennon (40.0) and Jake Fromm (34.2).

Rookie linebacker Elerson Smith earned the team’s highest special teams grade (91.1).

[listicle id=681664]

Lorenzo Carter, Andrew Thomas were highest-graded Giants in Week 15

Lorenzo Carter and Andrew Thomas earned the New York Giants’ highest grades in a Week 15 loss to the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium.

The New York Giants were embarrassed once again on Sunday, falling to the Dallas Cowboys, 21-6, and dropping their record to 4-10 on the season.

There’s a lot to dislike about the current direction of the franchise, but not everything is shrouded in negativity. Ironically, one of the most encouraging things about the 2021 Giants comes on the offensive side of the ball.

After a terrible rookie season, offensive tackle Andrew Thomas is playing lights out in his second year. And in Week 15, he led the Giants’ offense with an 83.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus (min. 10 snaps).

Just behind Thomas were quarterback Jake Fromm (78.7), center Billy Price (74.1) and right tackle Nate Solder (68.4).

Other notable offensive grades include wide receiver Kenny Golladay (64.0), running back Devontae Booker (63.1) and running back Saquon Barkley (53.2).

The lowest-graded Giants on offense were right guard Will Hernandez (46.2) and quarterback Mike Glennon (41.0).

Defensively, the Giants were led by linebacker Lorenzo Carter, who arguably played the best game of his career. He recorded an overall grade of 90.8, which topped the team.

Checking in just behind Carter were cornerback Jarren Williams (82.0), defensive lineman Leonard Williams (76.6) and linebacker Jaylon Smith (73.7).

Other notable defensive grades include cornerback James Bradberry (65.8), linebacker Azeez Ojulari (60.2) and safety Logan Ryan (54.0).

The lowest-graded Giants on defense were linebackers Reggie Ragland (35.8) and Benardrick McKinney (29.9).

Ragland, however, recorded the team’s highest special teams grade (76.5).

[listicle id=682880]

[vertical-gallery id=682956]