Getty A two-time Super Bowl-winning linebacker is a bargain free agent the New York Giants should target.
Linebacker is one of the few position groups still looking thin for the New York Giants. That could change if the team takes the advice of Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox, who believes the Giants should target a two-time Super Bowl-winning “experienced do-it-all linebacker” during the bargain phase of the NFL free agency market.
Knox named Kyle Van Noy as one of three “bargain free agents Giants must target.” Every member of the trio plays defense, with veteran edge-rusher Melvin Ingram III and cornerback Casey Hayward also on the list, but Van Noy is the most intriguing option for the Giants.
Big Blue’s defense is still need linebacker-needy after Jarrad Davis was lost for the season because of a knee injury. Van Noy could replace Davis alongside Bobby Okereke, the Giants’ big free agent get on defense this year.
As well as being able to start inside, Van Noy also has experience playing on the edge, where his blitz skills would surely appeal to Giants’ defensive coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale and his pressure-heavy schemes.
Championship Veteran Fits Giants’ System
Van Noy collected his two Super Bowl championships playing for the New England Patriots in a multiple-front defense that took full advantage of his versatility. He handled a variety of responsibilities in head coach Bill Belichick’s complex system, with Taylor Kyles of Patriots on CLNS marvelling at Van Noy’s “unique role” in 2019.
Random thought: Kyle Van Noy has a really unique role for the #Patriots.
Maybe it’s the sleepy’s consuming my brain, but I can’t think of many other guys who play most of their early downs on the edge, then kick inside on passing downs to cover backs/blitz? Usually the opposite
The part of Van Noy’s game most intriguing to the Giants would be his ability to put pressure on quarterbacks. He has 33.5 career sacks to his credit and has blitzed 413 times since 2017, per Pro Football Reference.
Martindale loves to bring the heat, so he’d welcome a linebacker who can wreck pass protection the way Van Noy did for this sack as a member of the Los Angeles Chargers against the Los Angeles Rams last season.
It’s significant Van Noy rushed off the edge to get to then-Rams’ QB Baker Mayfield. Van Noy’s ability to win on the outside would make him a strong candidate to ease the workload on primary Giants edge-rushers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari.
Martindale doesn’t have any prolific pass-rushers behind his starting bookends. There are still options, with Detroit Lions’ edge Julian Okwara named a potential fit, but Van Noy has more experience. Knox pointed out how his “leadership could be even more important for a team eager to take the proverbial next step.”
The Giants have room for a veteran leader, but they may value Van Noy’s ability to play anywhere along the linebacker corps even more.
Giants Still Need Help Inside
Davis being on the shelf ups the ante on Okereke to live up to the four-year, $40 million deal he got earlier this offseason. The former Indianapolis Colts’ starter’s job will be easier with a proven commodity like Van Noy next to him.
Without a signing, Okereke will likely be paired with either Darrian Beavers or Micah McFadden. The latter made a mere seven starts after being taken in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft, while Beavers, a seventh-round selection a year ago, didn’t play a down after tearing his ACL.
Slotting Van Noy into the lineup would remove any remaining uncertainty at the heart of Martindale’s front seven. The Giants should act quickly because Van Noy has already attracted interest on the market, “visiting” with the Baltimore Ravens in July, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Veteran free agent Kyle Van Noy is visiting the #Ravens, per source.
Van Noy, 32, has some pass-rush juice from the linebacker spot with at least five sacks in each of the last four seasons.
There’s still time for the Giants to make a late move in free agency and find veteran help on cost-effective terms. Van Noy is one of the best options based on his versatility, experience and scheme fit.