G-Men sign vet journeyman Holden for swing OT depth

The role of swing offensive tackle is not an exotic one, but it is vitally important on a roster. Any starter is one play away from going down and the entire offensive line suffers if there is not a viable replacement.

The Giants secured a new candidate for the swing tackle spot, signing veteran Will Holden on Friday. The move became a necessity when Matt Gono — signed in the offseason to serve as the backup at both left and right tackle — was placed on the exempt/left squad list Wednesday, dealing with a neck issue.

In the corresponding roster move, third-year defensive end Niko Lalos was waived.

Holden, 28, is a muchtraveled player and the Giants are his ninth NFL team. He was a 2017 fifth-round draft pick of the Cardinals out of Vanderbilt. He has played in 27 games, with nine starts for the Cardinals, Ravens, Colts and Lions. The 6-foot-7, 312-pound Holden has started four games at left tackle, two at right tackle, one at left guard and two as an extra lineman.

With Gono out of the picture, the Giants were using rookie Joshua Ezeudu as a backup at four different spots — everywhere on the offensive line other than center. Holden, for now, relieves that pressure on Ezeudu and he will back up Andrew Thomas at left tackle and rookie Evan Neal at right tackle. ➤ Tae Crowder started all 17 games last season and in most of them wore the helmet with the green dot, signifying there was a radio transmitter inside to relay the calls from the defensive coordinator to the players on the field. Crowder, in only his second NFL season, was given this responsibility after Blake Martinez went down with a torn ACL in Week 3.

A new coaching staff has brought on new assignments. Martinez is back and is lining up with Crowder as the starting inside linebackers. Neither of them, though, is making the defensive calls. New coordinator Wink Martindale has handed that assignment to free safety Xavier McKinney, which is somewhat unusual, given that linebackers, stationed in the middle of the defense, most often get that gig.

“It’s a little different just because last year, obviously, I was calling it,” Crowder said. “Just having to get the communication from somebody else, that’s the only difference. We still are communicating as a defense, and everyone’s still talking, so it’s cool.”

Crowder led the team in tackles in 2021 with 130. That did not stop new general manager Joe Schoen from taking two inside linebackers in the 2022 draft: Micah McFadden (Indiana) in the fifth round and Darrian Beavers (Cincinnati) in the seventh.

“I feel like each year as a player you should want to be better than you were last year,” Crowder said. “I know I did lead the team, but it’s in the past. I’m worried about right now, and what we are doing today.”