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Giants’ DT Rakeem Nuñez-Roches can help upgrade run defense
The Giants hope Rakeem Nuñez-Roches, an eight-year veteran added in free agency, will help take some of the burden off their star defensive tackles.
In some ways, Nuñez-Roches is a poor man’s Dexter Lawrence. He can play at nose tackle or elsewhere on the interior. He has impressive quickness and burst off the line of scrimmage for a player of his size. And he’s rarely missed games due to injury during his eight-year career.
Those similarities will suit Nuñez-Roches well, as the Giants hope they can utilize him to take some pressure off Lawrence. Lawrence played 864 defensive snaps last year, over 100 more than any other Giants lineman. Leonard Williams also played a hefty 604 snaps in 12 games. If Nuñez-Roches proves to be reliable, his presence could give Lawrence or Williams more chances to rest without decimating the team’s defensive line. He could also end up starting next to them in the Giants’ 3-4 base set.
More from Big Blue View
- Saquon Barkley contract update: Everything we know about talks with Giants
- ESPN ranks the Giants’ roster 18th in the NFL
Other Giant observations
Mueller: Identifying each NFC East team’s biggest concern from a GM’s perspective | The Athletic
Former NFL GM Randy Mueller asks:Can they stand prosperity?
Trust me, this is a thing. It’s what I would worry about as a decision-maker for the Giants.
My first year with the New Orleans Saints in 2000, we experienced a similar season to what the Giants did in 2022: a roster and culture makeover that produced way better results than what was expected. In Year 2, everything that had gone right the year before didn’t line up, and we went 6-10. Sometimes these jobs in the NFL can be explained best by two steps forward and one step back. The fact is, the other teams are getting paid and are good too. Especially right now in the NFC East.
No Need to Panic (Yet) About Saquon Barkley Contract Talks Says Former Giants Exec | Sports Illustrated
"When you're in the building, you're a little bit more calm about it because you're always sort of in communication with the agents, and you kind of have the pulse and the lay of the land of what's going on," Marc Ross said.
"So those people within that building know a lot more than what's getting put out there in the public and may have a better certainty about what's going to happen than what's getting put out in the public."
2023 NFL All-Under-25 Team: Sauce Gardner, Justin Jefferson among top young stars | NFL.com
LT Andrew Thomas. In the span of a few days in early 1999, two of the NFL’s top tackles under 25 years old were born. Thomas arrived first — he was born on Jan. 22, two days before Wirfs — but he didn’t earn All-Pro status until last season, as a second-team selection. Brian Daboll’s arrival certainly contributed to New York’s turnaround, but give Thomas credit for staying dedicated to improving. The results are indisputable. It turns out former Giants GM Dave Gettleman made a good pick when he drafted Thomas in 2020.
2024 NFL Draft: One draft prospect each NFC team should be watching | PFF
Giants safeties ranked 29th in the NFL in overall grade last season. They have one starter in Xavier McKinney, who suffered through injury last year. Otherwise, it seems they are throwing darts at the wall. Miami’s Kamren Kinchens was the highest-graded safety in the FBS last season. His 90.7 coverage mark also topped the FBS and he has terrific range on the back end. Brian Daboll knows the value of elite safeties from his time in Buffalo. Kinchens would give him an excellent player to rove behind his man coverage-heavy defense.
Ranking the NFL’s top 10 defensive coordinators entering 2023 | PFF
6. Don Martindale, New York Giants
Martindale may have moved from Baltimore to New York for his defensive coordinator duties, but his aggressive nature and play calling remained intact — and successful. No team in the NFL last year played more Cover 0 or Cover 1 (man coverage) than the Giants. Their coverage and pass-rush units were in sync, yielding 136 pressures and 24 sacks while in man coverage. At 60 years old and with 18 years of NFL experience, Martindale is still dialing it up with the best of them.
O-line coach OK with Evan Neal seeking help outside Giants | New York Post
With a refined stance, increased comfort on the right side and putting behind him a first season filled with lessons galore are all reasons, the Giants believe Neal will be a much better player in 2023.
“My big thing with a lot of guys is, I don’t care whether it’s Evan, AT [Andrew Thomas], Ben Bredeson, John Michael [Schmitz], I don’t care who it is, I want them to be efficient movers,’’ Johnson said. “I don’t want any wasted motion. In this league, especially in our division, the pass rushers that we have, if you waste movement, they are gone. They are on the quarterback. I have no reason to believe with the work ethic [Neal] put in the attention to detail and pushing to be a really good player that we’ll see better results.’’
Eli Manning's HOF candidacy is complicated: Are two Super Bowls rings enough? | FOX Sports
Now, more than a decade later, three and a half years after the long-time New York Giants quarterback was nudged into retirement, Manning’s path to Canton is not so clear. With a little less than two years until he’s eligible, there appear to be more than enough members of the 50-person selection committee who are at least skeptical of his chances. Some think he shouldn’t go in on the first ballot. Some think he’s not a Hall of Famer at all.
"I think potentially it is a tougher sell than some others," said Newsday columnist Bob Glauber, a Hall of Famer himself who will be tasked with presenting Manning to the committee in 2025. "If you mention Dan Marino, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, Tom Brady, you just have to say their name and it’s over. With Eli, you have to show that his numbers and his accomplishments are up there with the best of them. I think that they are. But I think this will be a long discussion."
NFL’s Best All-Time Front 7 Defensive Players | The 33rd Team
People do not realize what a game-wrecker Lawrence Taylor was as a pass rusher. That’s how he made his living. So much so that when he would drop into coverage, offensive live coaches and coordinators would put a smile on their faces and clap.
His dominance on the line forced offenses to turn protection to whichever side Taylor was on. Coordinators wanted to make sure you got a big offensive lineman blocking L.T. rather than running the opposite way and expecting a running back to block him.
Around the league
NFL suspends four players for violating league’s gambling policy | NFL.com
Colts cut Rashod Berry and Isaiah Rodgers after gambling suspensions | Pro Football Talk
Dak Prescott keeping Cowboys from Super Bowl: Plaxico Burress | New York Post
Patriots reach new 3-year deal with WR DeVante Parker | ESPN.com
Patriots reportedly still in mix for DeAndre Hopkins after locking up DeVante Parker | CBSSports.com
Panthers RB Miles Sanders: ‘Almost every running back is underpaid right now’ | NFL.com
Jets TE Tyler Conklin - 'Plenty of room' for Dalvin Cook in N.Y. | ESPN.com
Nick Chubb "not worried at all" about offensive role with Deshaun Watson at QB | Pro Football Talk
Chris Jones tweets that he'll win defensive player of the year in 2023 | Pro Football Talk
Jerry Jeudy: Broncos receivers 'going to be a hard group of guys to stop' | NFL.com
Quarterbacks who got the most help during the 2023 NFL offseason | PFF
Trotter: Selection of new NFLPA leader raises questions about process | The Athletic
J.J. Watt signs multiyear deal with CBS Sports to serve as NFL studio analyst | CBSSports.com
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