Giants Release Suspended Linebacker, Sign LB Who Can Play Week 1

The New York Giants have replaced a linebacker who can’t play in Week 1 with one who can.

On Thursday, the Giants announced the release of suspended linebacker Justin Hilliard and the signing of free-agent linebacker Austin Calitro.

Via Giants.com managing editor Dan Salomone on Twitter:

Earlier this offseason, Hilliard was suspended two games for a violation of the NFL’s policy against performance-enhancing drugs. Hilliard, who appeared in just two games with the Giants last season, released a statement on Twitter at the time of his suspension.

“I have been informed by the NFL that I tested positive for a banned diuretic — Spironolactone (Canrenone),” Hilliard wrote on Twitter on June 17. “After investigation, it became clear that I mistakenly took my partner’s prescription medication instead of my own anti-inflammatory prescription. I am well aware of the NFL’s zero-tolerance policy, and I take full responsibility for having a banned substance in my body.”

Hilliard will have to serve his two-game suspension regardless of where he goes next, but Calitro will be good to go from Day 1. Calitro last played for the AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals, appearing in five games and recording six tackles (four solo). He did not appear, however, in any of Cincinnati’s postseason games.

Calitro, 28, entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Villanova in 2017 and bounced around a few teams until he landed with the Seattle Seahawks in 2018. He played in all 16 games (five starts) for the Seahawks that season, recording a career-high 45 tackles, one pass defensed plus a half-sack.

Calitro has suited up for a different team every year since that season. He started four of the 13 games in which he appeared with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019, but he was a reserve/special teams player with the Denver Broncos in 2020 and the Bengals in 2021.

Now with the Giants in training camp, Calitro provides the linebacker unit with some quality depth.

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Wink Martindale’s Scheme Played a Role in This Move

Under defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, the Giants will field a 3-4 base defense. While Hilliard’s suspension certainly played a role in his release, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network also notes that Hilliard was not an ideal fit in Martindale’s defense.

You can see the impact Martindale’s scheme has on personnel when you take a close look at the roster/depth chart. First-round rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux, for example, is listed as an outside linebacker. At Oregon, he was listed as a defensive end. There’s virtually no difference between these two positions when it comes to rushing the passer off the edge, but Thibodeaux may work out of a two-point stance more often and have slightly different responsibilities in run defense, as well as occasional pass coverage duties.

The other big difference is on the line. The Giants currently have nine players listed as DL/DE/DT on their roster, and only three of them are under 300 pounds. Defensive linemen in Martindale’s 3-4 scheme tend to be bigger guys who are capable of eating space, leaving the edge rushing to the much lighter outside linebackers.

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Blake Martinez Endorses Wink Martindale’s Defense

Veteran linebacker Blake Martinez, who led the team with 151 tackles in 2020, praised Martindale at the start of camp for his ability to put players in the right position.

Via SNY Giants on Twitter:

“He allows the players to be in positions that they can thrive at,” Martinez said, via SNY Giants. “He trusts his guys to go out there and he gives a lot of freedom to maneuver around and communicate as a defense.”

Martinez, 28, is currently working his way back from a torn ACL and projects to be an anchor at linebacker for the Giants this season.

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