Is there a place on the Giants’ roster for LB Thurston Armbrister?

The New York Giants have, for years, been scouring the NFL trash heap for help at linebacker. That, perhaps is changing. Olivier Vernon is being moved to linebacker. Kareem Martin was added via free agency. Alec Ogletree was traded for. Lorenzo Carter was drafted.

For once, the Giants may not be scraping the bottom of the NFL barrel for help at linebacker. Even with the players mentioned, along with inside linebacker B.J. Goodson, there could still be room on the roster for an additional reserve/special teams player.

Could Thurston Armbrister fit that description? Let’s look at Armbrister as we continue our player-by-player profiles of the 90-man roster the Giants will bring to training camp.

The basics

Age: 25
Experience: 3
Position: Linebacker
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 235

2017 season in review

Armbrister bounced between the practice squad, the active roster of the Detroit Lions and unemployment throughout the season. He never appeared in a regular-season game.

2018 outlook

The Giants signed Armbrister to a reserve/futures contract in early January. Armbrister played in 30 games for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions with five starts during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. He has experience as an inside linebacker, and that figures to give him a chance as he competes with Mark Herzlich, Calvin Munson, Ray-Ray Armstrong and Derrick Mathews for a spot as a reserve.

The folks from SB Nation’s Pride of Detroit weren’t impressed by Armbrister back in 2016, the last time he actually got on the field in NFL game action.