New York Giants Training Camp Position Preview: Outside Linebackers
Feature (Series) - July 26, 2023
Since trading Jason Pierre-Paul, the New York Giants seemed to have lost pass rushing edge that championed them to their two most recent Super Bowl titles. Despite influxes of players and changes at the coaching helm, the franchise couldn’t muster up any dominance at the line of scrimmage, and the result was bottom barrel pass and run rush rankings in four of the past five seasons.
Last fall, with the hiring of defensive coordinator Wink Martindale and the addition of pieces like rookie outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux, the tides quickly took a turn, and the Giants’ defense became an improved unit that pestered the opposing backfield every Sunday. In the blitz-heavy system, the Giants rose to 25th in the NFL in yards allowed, forced the second-most fumbles, and cut their opponents' scoring and average time of possession significantly.
While it was a collective effort throughout the season to make the big plays, much of the credit had to be given to the guys' efforts in the outside linebacker position. Spearheaded by Thibodeaux and second-year teammate Azeez Ojulari, the group became a strength within the Giants defense by setting the tone early and often via the pass rush and compiling a nice chunk of the team’s sacks and turnover metrics in 2022.
Whether it was chasing down the opposing ball carrier from the other side of the field, stripping the ball and returning it for a touchdown, or making the big-time hit to shut down a drive’s momentum, there were memorable plays made by the outside linebackers that carried the Giants to big wins and helped define their surprising campaign. If injuries stay away in 2023, the good news is that they’ll be running it back with the same squad holding higher expectations.