Depth on defense remains a concern
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — True to his word, Brian Daboll stuck to his original game plan for the preseason finale even though the Jets announced that the Aaron Rodgers Era in New York would officially begin Saturday night at MetLife Stadium.
Getting reps against one of the greatest quarterbacks ever? Forget about it.
The Giants did not play a single defensive starter in their 32-24 loss — not even rookie cornerbacks Deonte Banks and Tre Hawkins III, as many speculated might happen. This was all about staying healthy and finalizing decisions for Tuesday’s 53-man roster deadline.
“There’s work to be done here,” head coach Brian Daboll said of shifting focus toward the regular season. “[General manager] Joe [Schoen] and I, the coaches and scouts, we’ll meet and then we’ll talk about the things we need to talk about, and we’ll have a week, but we’re really just going to focus on [Sunday], just watch the tape and then we’ll have our discussions.”
To that end, it’s still hard to feel great about the Giants’ depth on defense leading up to the Sept. 10 opener against Dallas.
The Jets’ Rodgers-led offense played two drives, scoring a touchdown on the second series after getting excellent field position at its own 48-yard line after a 20-yard punt return. Still, the defense offered little resistance with a defensive pass interference and two completions for 24 yards as the Jets reached the end zone in merely 85 seconds.
Does it matter? Look, the victims of the penalty (cornerback Amani Oruwariye) and the touchdown (cornerback Gemon Green) are almost certainly not going to make the 53-man roster. And of the approximately 17 players who logged snaps on defense during those two drives, only 11 appear to be in good shape as we approach roster cuts.
Furthermore, the defense gave up only one first down on the first drive and generated solid pressure against the Jets’ starting offensive line. Rodgers had a pass tipped at the line of scrimmage and then was hit by outside linebacker Ximines on a third-down incompletion.
But really, we don’t know at this point what to expect or feel optimistic about when at least a starter or two inevitably get hurt during the season, especially at linebacker and cornerback.
The defensive front, for instance, was solid early against the Jets yet struggled over the course of the game when pass-rushing with players such as Ximines and Tamon Fox, two legitimate 53-man roster candidates, against backup offensive tackles. That is highly concerning when you have outside linebackers like Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari, who missed a combined 13 games last year.
In 26 drives this preseason (not counting end of halves) with mostly backups — and often against backups — the defense allowed 55 points. Not terrible, but there are too many unanswered questions as the Giants aim to build on last season’s playoff win.
The Giants made their thoughts about their inside linebacker depth known Thursday when they traded a seventh-round pick for 2020 firstround pick Isaiah Simmons, an athletic 6-foot-4, 238-pound specimen who failed to live up to expectations in Arizona but who could fit like a glove in Wink Martindale’s “positionless” defense.
Simmons was a starter in Saturday’s game but played only five snaps as a pass-rusher during the Jets’ opening drive, nearly sacking Rodgers on a blitz from the left edge. He also dropped into coverage on the pass interference play.
“The only rule [Martindale and Daboll] gave me was run to the ball, and I said, ‘Well, that’s an easy rule,’ ” Simmons said. “I have no issue with that. As of right now, they’re still getting me familiar with the system, learning everything, but just what Wink said, there are going to be different things that I’ll be doing. I’m just excited to dive deep into those tasks and learn all of the fine details within them so I can execute them to the highest ability.”
It’s far too early to tell what his impact on this defense can be, but it was certainly a low-risk, high-reward investment.
The second starting inside linebacker spot next to Bobby Okereke remains a huge question mark on this defense. Second-year pros Micah McFadden and Darrian Beavers have hardly impressed in that battle, so if nothing else, Simmons could be a crucial depth piece as a hybrid linebacker/safety, especially on passing downs.
“This is a great organization, great coaching staff, and just from being around the guys for a little bit of time, everybody here is great,” Simmons said of his change of scenery.
The Giants have had issues in the slot to the point that it appears their top cover man, Adoree’ Jackson, will line up inside with the two rookies outside when the defense needs to deploy three cornerbacks.
None of the corners who played Saturday such as Oruwariye, Green, Darnay Holmes, Zyon Gilbert (left after the first drive with an injured hamstring) and Darren Evans have shown much promise if anyone goes down or Banks or Hawkins struggle.