Defensive Line: Defensive Ends and Outside Linebackers

     We've covered the interior of the defensive line, however that isn't all that goes into a front seven. Next we have the outside of the defensive line which includes defensive ends and outside linebackers, otherwise known as edge rushers. They are called edge rushers due to the fact they normally play on the edge of the line and rush at the QB. The Giants have a nice group of young talent on the outside so this will be a fun topic to cover.

    We'll start with the latest addition to this group and one I vastly covered in the free agency review, Brian Burns. As stated in the FA review, Burns was traded to the Giants and he proceeded to sign a 5 year deal with the team. Burns brings an elite edge threat to a group that desperately needed more presence other than Dexter Lawrence. The former Panther has never had below 8 sacks in a season and is looking to finally breakout, but enough about him. We already devoted a big section of the free agency review to him, lets move on to some home grown talent.

    Kayvon Thibodeaux, the man meant for the big lights. As he has said numerous times, "Primetime loves Kayvon" and that could not be more accurate. In primetime games he really shines, however his career has been average so far through two seasons. Drafted in 2021 out of Oregon, his career started out slow. He only brought in 4 sacks in his first year along with 6 tackles for loss and 13 QB hits. However he really started to shine this past year. In his sophomore season, Thibodeaux showed out big with 11.5 sacks, 12 TFLs, and 16 QB hits.

    Many have started to go in the direction of Kayvon not being able to be a superstar, especially with the addition of Burns. However I think having Burns only will help Kayvon. Now teams will have to focus on Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns, and suddenly they forget about Kayvon. Being the third man on the list of threats from this line isn't a bad thing. Your third threat being a guy who can get double digit sacks is a strength, not a weakness. This defensive line is going to be very scary moving forward.

    Above is a clip of Kayvon's first career sack. The context of this play was the Giants were up against the Ravens in the 2022 season and Lamar was trying to get his team downfield to try and win. Kayvon works against the right tackle and dips outside, heading straight for Lamar Jackson. He goes right to Lamar and punches the ball out of his hands, and the Giants recover the ball and win the game. Instead of going for the tackle sack here, he goes for the strip sack and secures the win. Stellar awareness from a young player.

    Our next player of note is Azeez Ojulari. Azeez has had an up and down NFL career. He has yet to play a full season without missing games, and just can't stay on the field. He had 8 sacks his rookie year and then 6 sacks in 7 games during his sophomore season. This past year he only had 2 sacks whilst playng 11 games. It's hard to see his future role with the men in blue due to his inability to stay healthy. With the addition of Brian Burns, Azeez will most likely take on a rotational role and not have to play every down, limiting his ability to get hurt.    Moving on to more average players, we have Ryder Anderson and DJ Davidson. Anderson was an undrafted free agent for the Giants and during his one year of playing he managed to garner 2 sacks. Davidson was a late round pick from the Giants and was originally and IDL before moving to defensive end. Both of these player are mainly depth rotation guys to give the starters a break. The previous 3 will be the heavy hitters of the edge group.

    Next time we'll finish off the front 7 with the inside line backers, which will be a fun group to cover.