Giants.com is counting down to the start of 2024 Giants Training Camp with 24 questions in 24 days.
7) What is the biggest area the Giants need to improve on defense?
Matt Citak: Over the last three seasons, the Giants have allowed an average of 132.4, 144.2 and 129.0 rushing yards per game. All three of these marks led to the Giants finishing in the bottom eight in the NFL, including bottom five in each of the last two years. Stopping the run was the biggest strength of the Titans defense while Shane Bowen was coordinator there, so I do expect that area to improve drastically. That is why I'm going with the pass rush as the biggest area the Giants need to improve on defense this season.
The Giants had a pass blitz rate of 54.2 percent last season, according to Pro Football Focus, which was the second-highest blitz rate in the NFL. Despite this fact, the Giants still managed to record just 34 sacks on the year, which tied with the New Orleans Saints for the fifth-fewest in the league. As we've discussed at length over the last few months, Bowen's defensive scheme will look a lot different from what the Giants have been running the last few years. During the three seasons he ran Tennessee's defense, his unit ranked 31st (16.2 percent), 30th (15.7 percent) and 24th (20.4 percent) in blitz rate across the league. Of course, this means that the pass rush relies heavily on the front four to succeed in getting after the quarterback, which likely played a significant role in the Giants' trading for outside linebacker Brian Burns.
The unit's front four now includes Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawrence, which has to be up there among the NFL's best pass-rushing trios heading into the 2024 campaign. The group registered 148 total quarterback pressures between the three of them last year, according to PFF. Based on the draft capital surrendered in order to acquire Burns, along with the accompanying contract extension he received, it seems clear that GM Joe Schoen also came to the conclusion that the pass rush needed a big boost.
View photos of the New York Giants' 2024 active roster as it currently stands.
ILB Matthew Adams
CB Deonte Banks
TE Daniel Bellinger
S Dane Belton
OLB Brian Burns
DL Elijah Chatman
DL D.J. Davidson
QB Tommy DeVito
OT Jermaine Eluemunor
OL Joshua Ezeudu
CB Cor'Dale Flott
WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton
OLB Tomon Fox
K Graham Gano
P Jamie Gillan (6)
RB Eric Gray
CB Art Green
CB Tre Hawkins III
OT Chris Hubbard
WR Jalin Hyatt
CB Adoree' Jackson
S Anthony Johnson Jr.
LB Patrick Johnson
TE Theo Johnson
QB Daniel Jones
LS Casey Kreiter
G Jake Kubas
DL Dexter Lawrence II
QB Drew Lock
TE Chris Manhertz
LB Micah McFadden
ILB Darius Muasau
WR Malik Nabers
T Evan Neal
S Tyler Nubin
DL Rakeem Nuñez-Roches
OLB Azeez Ojulari
ILB Bobby Okereke
CB Dru Phillips
S Jason Pinnock
DL Jordon Riley
WR Wan'Dale Robinson
G Jon Runyan
C John Michael Schmitz Jr.
S/LB Isaiah Simmons
RB Devin Singletary
WR Darius Slayton
WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette
G Aaron Stinnie
LB Ty Summers
RB Tyrone Tracy
G Greg Van Roten
DL Armon Watts
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Get excited for the 2024 season with photos from Media Day at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.
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