Getty Trent Murphy #93 of the Buffalo Bills celebrates a sack during the second half against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The New York Giants spent big on two positions this offseason; wideout and cornerback. Ownership cut checks in order to bring Kenny Golladay and Adoree’ Jackson to East Rutherford, equating to a total of $64.5 million in guaranteed cash. However, their methods of buffing up other lacking positions throughout the roster were far less extravagant — namely when it comes to the pass-rushing department.
For a team that returns a mere 2.5 total sacks amongst their edge defenders this season, the Giants refrained from splurging on big-name free agents such as Jadeveon Clowney and Yannick Ngakoue. Instead, the team focused their energy on buffing up the edge of their defense with bargain signings (Ifeadi Odenigbo – $1 million guaranteed, Ryan Anderson – $137,500) and rookie contributors (Azeez Ojulari, Elerson Smith).
Add in both Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines returning from season-ending injuries and the Giants appear positively optimistic with their current array of pass rushers — although possibly not content.
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Giants Floated as Destination for Trent Murphy
With training camp around the corner, ESPN’s Field Yates examined the one remaining move each team across the league ought to make to cap off their offseason. In terms of Big Blue, the NFL insider landed on former Buffalo Bills pass rusher Trent Murphy as the ideal signing.
Sign edge rusher Trent Murphy
The Giants addressed their need for edge rushers through the draft by taking Georgia’s Azeez Ojulari and [Northern Iowa’s] Elerson Smith, the former of which could well be in line to start. Murphy would be a veteran complement to the group.
After three seasons in Buffalo, his market has been quiet thus far this offseason, but he showed very well in the Bills’ playoff win against the Ravens, serving as a reminder of some of the length and instincts he brings to the table. While not a major sack producer, Murphy would provide some experience to a young group.
The Case For & Against Signing Murphy
First, the good. Murphy is a former second-round pick of the Washington Football Team with 26 career sacks and 66 quarterback hits to his name. He’s proven to be versatile, bolstering experience as both an outside linebacker and defensive end — obvious brownie points when it comes to getting in Joe Judge and Patrick Graham’s good graces. He also has a knack for getting his hands on the football, compiling 10 forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries, six passes defended and one interception over his six-year career.
Now, for the not-so-good. Murphy is 30 years old coming off his worst statistical season to date. His 2.0 sacks mark a personal worst for the Stanford product, while his 55.4 run-grade (per Pro Football Focus) leaves much to be desired. His most prolific campaign came back in 2016 when he notched 9.0 sacks. However, a torn ACL suffered the following preseason appears to have eaten into his explosiveness off the edge, as he’s not topped 5.0 sacks in a season since.
This is a tough one to juggle. On one hand, it’s always presumed that you could never have too much pass rush. He’d also likely be had for cheap, probably hovering around the veteran minimum. Plus, he’d immediately become the eldest statesman amongst the Giants’ pass rushers, potentially posing as a veteran presence for an outside linebacker/defensive end group that’s average age is just 23.8 years old.
On the other hand, the group is already a tad bit crowded, and adding another non-certified game changer to the mix may not make much sense, especially when he’d be presumably eating into snaps — and possibly the development — for youngsters such as Ojulari and Smith.
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