Generating pressure was what Don ‘Wink’ Martindale did best during his time as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants, so the former play-caller’s worth listening to when he offers advice about how the 2026 team can fix its stale pass rush.
Martindale told the Giants how to get their star edge-rushers involved more often, during an appearance on the Talkin’ Ball with Pat Leonard. That’s been a problem for a Giants’ defense with just one sack through three games.
A possible solution for current defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson is “to attack on first and second down, you know, with pressures,” according to Martindale. The latter doesn’t believe the responsibility to attack lies solely with outside linebackers Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Instead, Martindale also thinks the Giants “offensively they need to score points so they can get that pass rush cranked up. You know we always looked you know we were always jacked whenever you got a two-score lead because that’s when it was time to go hunting you know as with your pass rushers and you know it hasn’t been that yet.”
The logic here is clear. A more prolific Giants offense can force opponents into pass-heavy mode and give Carter and Thibodeaux more opportunities to rush.
If and when that happens, Martindale has some tips to help Carter and Thibodeaux get to quarterbacks more often.
Wink Martindale Has Advice for Struggling Edge-Rushers
Carter has the lone sack for the Giants so far this season, but he still doesn’t believe there’s a problem with the pass rush. That’s a tough sell when Wilson’s defense was getting mediocre returns from its primary edge-rushers, even before three-time Pro Bowler Brian Burns suffered a devastating knee injury that’s worse than first reported.
Burns is out for the season, so the onus is on Carter and Thibodeaux to post better numbers. For that to happen, Martindale thinks “you got to run some, you know, some pass rush stunts.”
Mixing up how they send their edge defenders after quarterbacks would be a good start for the Giants fixing their pass-rush problem. There are other things they can do, beyond adding more talent.
Giants Already Reinforcing Pass Rush
The Giants have brought a Martindale favorite back, but they have other free agents to choose from. Including a former Giant who’s a two-time Super Bowl winner, along with a Pro Bowler familiar with head coach John Harbaugh.
Any of these potential moves represents a quick fix, but Wilson also needs structural improvements. Those must begin with the Giants getting tougher against the run, particularly on early downs.
That won’t be easy when Big Blue’s defense is allowing 104.3 rushing yards per game. As well as 4.7 yards per attempt, according to ESPN.
The Giants signed 335-pound veteran nose tackle D.J. Reader to avoid this level of frailty on the ground, but things aren’t working as planned. A soft run defense blighted the Giants during Martindale’s tenure, but he could at least compensate with some sophisticated pressure packages.
Wilson isn’t as aggressive. His defense has blitzed 22.9 percent of the time, per Pro Football Reference.
It’s a roughly middle-of-the-pack pressure rate, but Wilson’s going to have to get creative to generate more heat from a Giants’ pass rush sans Burns.
Wink Martindale Tells Giants How to Fix Pass Rush