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With the recent hiring of Brian Daboll as head coach, comes not only a reworked coaching staff in East Rutherford but also a change in philosophy. With the additions of (offensive coordinator) Mike Kafka and (defensive coordinator) Wink Martindale, the Giants are expected to take a far more aggressive approach on both sides of the football in 2022. In Martindale’s own words, the 58-year-old veteran coach likes to “attack” and he has the resume to back up his talk.
As highlighted by Giants.com’s Lance Medow, Martindale spent four seasons as the coordinator in Baltimore. In 2021 the Ravens blitzed 31% of the time, the sixth-highest rate in the NFL. The previous three years, they paced the league in that category at 44% (2020), 55% (2019) and 40% (2018). The team also finished three of the past fours seasons ranked within the top six of the NFL in quarterback hits. Of course, having players such as Matthew Judon and Za’Darius Smith at Martindale’s disposal certainly helped skew those numbers in Baltimore’s favor.
Now in New York, Martindale has a promising second-year pro in Azeez Ojulari to unleash off the edge. However, aside from the Giants’ all-time rookie sack leader, New York is relatively limited in the pass-rushing department. This could lead general manager Joe Schoen to momentarily avert from his desire of saving money to splurge a little on the open market.
Giants Predicted to Ink New Jersey Product to Free Agency Deal
Arjun Menon of Pro Football Focus believes that when push comes to shove, the Giants will offer edge rusher Haason Reddick a deal that the Camden, NJ native cannot refuse. Ranked No. 31 overall on PFF’s top-50 free agent big board, Reddick is predicted to ink a three-year, $35 million contract ($18 million guaranteed) to join the Giants.
“Reddick’s pass-rushing production predictably took a minor step back in 2021 after his huge breakout year in 2020,” wrote Menon. “Nonetheless, 11.0 sacks and 47 total pressures still rank pretty well compared to the rest of the league. This means Reddick should have a decently sized market this offseason. He is a good fit for Wink Martindale in New York, given his aggressive blitz-heavy scheme that needs athletic edge-rushers that can get after the quarterback when schemed free.”
Will the Giants Finally Get Their Guy?
Reddick, 27, has been linked to the Giants dating as far back as his days at Temple University. Many projected New York to scoop him up in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft after the team showed extensive interest in the defender during the draft process. However, Reddick ultimately landed with the Cardinals on draft day. The former No. 13 overall pick went on to spend four seasons in Glendale. After playing out of position for the first three years, Reddick broke out in 2020, finishing fourth in the NFL with 12.5 sacks.
Entering free agency in 2020, New York was once again floated as a landing spot for Reddick, with The Athletic and numerous other outlets predicting him to sign with the Giants. That of course did not materialize — nor did Reddick’s market. Collecting 62.5% of his career sack output up to that point during his contract season, suitors were wary of Reddick being a one-hit-wonder. He ultimately inked a one-year, $6 million prove-it deal with the Carolina Panthers.
Safe to say he proved it.
Reddick led the Panthers in both sacks (11) and quarterback hits (18). Since 2020, he’s collected a whopping 23.5 sacks, the fifth-most in the NFL over that span. Firmly entrenching himself as one of the more vaunted pass rushers in football, Reddick is bound to cash in on a deserving multi-year deal this offseason. The question of whether that contract will come from the Giants remains to be seen.
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