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The New York Giants have officially ended a former first-round draft pick’s 2023 NFL season, but he’s not Saquon Barkley. Instead, middle linebacker Jarrad Davis won’t play this year after being place on injured reserve on Tuesday, July 18, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Davis had undergone surgery to repair a knee injury suffered at OTAs, but his prolonged recovery schedule comes at the worst time for the Giants. The news was revealed barely 24 hours after the team failed to come to terms with two-time Pro Bowl running back Barkley on a lengthy new contract.
Barkley now has to decide whether to play on the franchise tag or holdout, but Davis’ status means general manager Joe Schoen might need to turn his attention away from the backfield to another position.
Injury Further Depletes Already Suspect Position
Inside linebacker was already a position with more than a few question marks. Some of those questions were answered by Schoen signing Bobby Okereke from the Indianapolis Colts in free agency, but there was a reason the Giants also welcomed Davis back into the fold.
The former first-round pick of the Detroit Lions in the 2017 NFL draft acquitted himself well after joining the Giants late last season. Davis played against the Philadelphia Eagles in the final game of the regular season and was in on six tackles, while also getting to Jalen Hurts for a sack.
Staying on the field for “all but three defensive snaps (70),” per Matt Citak of Giants.com, showed the faith Big Blue defensive coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale put in Davis.
Further faith was evident when Davis started against the Minnesota Vikings and the Eagles again in the playoffs. He made heady plays, like this one to help contain Hurts, highlighted by Oliver Ames assistant coach Mark Lenehan.
Smart and active are two qualities that made Davis the likely starter alongside Okereke at the heart of Martindale’s front seven. The plan’s now changed, with Martindale facing the possibility of having to insert one member of inexperienced duo Micah McFadden and Darrian Beavers into the starting lineup.
Fortunately, there are still options for the Giants in free agency.
Veteran Market Can Provide Giants Help
Beavers and McFadden have a scant seven starts between them, so Martindale could use some further experience next to four-year pro Okereke. There’s no shortage of likely candidates, including ex-Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets linebacker Kwon Alexander.
Some of the other prominent names on the market include Deion Jones and Myles Jack. Perhaps the best option would be to offer a short-term, veteran contract to Kyle Van Noy.
A Super Bowl winner on two occasions with the New England Patriots, Van Noy is versatile, savvy and aggressive enough to quickly adapt to Martindale’s complex system. His schemes are based on a heavy diet of blitzing, man coverage and disguised pressure.
The combination often requires middle linebackers to either cover the gaps left by defensive backs rushing the passer, or take on challenging one-on-one matchups in space. It’s a lot to ask of McFadden and Beavers, so the Giants would be smart to re-enter the market to replace Davis.
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