The New York Giants fortified the offensive and defensive front on March 11 — which was day one of NFL free agency’s negotiating window.
On the defensive side, joining Dexter Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux in 2024 will be two-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Brian Burns. His addition, via trade with the Carolina Panthers, should make the Giants very strong up front.
Unfortunately, the Panthers used some of the cap space that they freed up by trading Burns to lure defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson away from Big Blue.
“The Panthers have agreed to terms with veteran DT A’Shawn Robinson on a three-year, $22.5 million deal, source says,” reported NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo on March 12. “Following a year with the Giants, Robinson reunites with Ejiro Evero, the former [Los Angeles] Rams assistant and now DC who pushed for Robinson.”
It’s a huge pay bump for the 6-foot-4 veteran who started 13 games for the New York defense in 2023, playing on a one-year, $5 million salary at the time.
Ex-Giants DT A’Shawn Robinson on Par With Dexter Lawrence as a Run Defender in 2023
Robinson’s departure should hurt the Giants’ run defense more than anything.
According to Pro Football Focus, the 28-year-old recorded an average depth of tackle that was nearly on par with Lawrence — at a 2.1-yard average rather than 2.0. Robinson was also responsible for 36 defensive “stops” on the ground last season, which actually topped Lawrence’s 30 stops, per PFF.
As a pass rusher, Robinson was more or less nonexistent with just nine quarterback pressures and a low win-rate of 4.5%. Even worse, the big man has not recorded a sack since 2021 but did rack up six tackles for a loss in 2023.
Robinson began his career as a second-round selection of the Detroit Lions in 2016. He played out his rookie contract in Detroit before heading to the aforementioned Rams. After a brief stop with the Giants an offseason ago, Robinson is set to join his fourth NFL franchise once new deals finalize on March 13.
Ex-Giants QB Tyrod Taylor Set to Join Jets
In case you missed it, backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor agreed to terms with the crosstown rival New York Jets late last night on March 11.
“Aaron Rodgers has a new backup,” NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero revealed. “The Jets have agreed to terms with veteran Tyrod Taylor, per sources.”
Later, Pelissero noted that the Jets’ deal with Taylor “is for two years and up to $18 million, per source.” He called it “a significant investment to get their Plan B in Taylor, who turns 35 this summer.”
On March 12, the Giants then replaced Taylor with veteran Drew Lock — who served as a backup to Geno Smith in Seattle in 2023.
Big Blue secured Lock on a $5 million deal according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, a much more reasonable price tag for the G-Men considering they still could draft a third quarterback behind Daniel Jones with Tommy DeVito also waiting in the wings.
When healthy, Taylor played well for the Giants despite unideal circumstances — something every NYG quarterback experienced last season.
Pro Football Focus graded him as the best Big Blue signal-caller in 2023, and a few areas stood out over Jones and DeVito. One was “big time throw rate,” which was up near 9% while the other two were down between 2.2% and 2.4%.
Taylor also recorded a better “turnover worthy throw” percentage, as well as a further average depth of target and a much lower “percentage of pressures that turned into sacks.”
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Giants 13-Game Starter Skips Town for $22.5 Million Payday: Report