The New York Giants aren’t getting to quarterbacks, and the problem isn’t going to get any better now All-Pro edge-rusher Brian Burns is out for the season, so the team should welcome a former Pro Bowler with 70.5 sacks to his credit dropping a positive, one-word response to the idea of joining Big Blue.
Free agent pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue reposted an article from USA Today’s Giants Wire’s Dan Benton tagged, “Yannick Ngakoue says he’s ‘willing and able’ if Giants come calling.” Ngakoue added the simple phrase “Indeed” to his repost.
This is a welcome development for a Giants team fielding no shortage of requests from eligible edge defenders. Including a former franchise icon and two-time Super Bowl winner.
Ngakoue’s a similarly good fit because of his own experience with head coach John Harbaugh. The two worked together for the Baltimore Ravens across two stints during the 2020 and 2024 NFL seasons.
A reunion makes sense, not only because the Giants need a replacement for Burns, but also because Harbaugh can’t ignore the growing problem of his team’s stale pass rush.
Yannick Ngakoue Reunion Worth Considering
Ngakoue isn’t hiding how keen he is to reunite with Harbaugh and suit up for the Giants. The 31-year-old also responded, “Willing and able” to another post on ‘X’ suggesting the Giants make a call.
Benton noted Ngakoue also talked up his relationship with Harbaugh, posting “coach is my guy.”
It’s clear where Ngakoue stands, so the question becomes does Harbaugh believe the well-travelled rush end still has enough left to get to quarterbacks? That’s a relevant concern when Ngakoue last posted double-digit sacks back in 2021, per Pro Football Reference.
He also last played two years ago, when Ngakoue registered 13 pressures and 1.5 sacks across spells with Harbaugh’s Ravens and the New England Patriots.
Since then, Ngakoue’s being working on getting fully healthy in a bid to make a comeback, per NFL Insider Jordan Schultz.
Ngakoue spent last season out of football to fully recover, with his sights set on returning this season.
Ngakoue sounds like he’s ready to play, and the Giants should consider any able and available pass-rusher who can help. Even if Harbaugh believes his defense’s lack of sacks isn’t on star edge-rushers failing to produce.
Giants Citing Familiar Reason for Lack of Sacks
Collecting sacks in bunches shouldn’t be a problem for this Giants’ defense. Not when the unit had three-time Pro Bowler Burns rushing the passer, along with two former top-five draft picks, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter.
The latter is content to shut down any talk the Giants have a pass-rush problem, but the numbers don’t lie. That’s probably why Harbaugh’s focused on a different set of numbers to explain the lack of sacks.
Harbaugh believes “teams have been getting rid of the ball quickly,” per Sports Illustrated’s Patricia Traina. She pointed out “The Giants have allowed a 73.3% completion rate on passes thrown in <2.5 seconds & a 57.5% completion rate on throws of 2.5+ seconds. Their one sack so far came when the quarterback was forced to hold the ball over 2.5 seconds.”
The Giants have allowed a 73.3% completion rate on passes thrown in <2.5 seconds & a 57.5% completion rate on throws of 2.5+ seconds.
Their one sack so far
Those hidden metrics appear to give Carter and Co. a pass. So do additional stats compiled by Pro Football Focus from the 12-7 win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 3.
The PFF numbers were cited by SNY.tv’s Connor Hughes to explain why the Giants never got to Titans’ quarterback Cam Ward. His “average time to throw vs. the #Giants was 2.47 seconds (PFF). He had a TTT of 3.06 vs. the #Jets and 3.22 vs. the #Eagles. Clearly a focus on getting rid of it to help negate the rush.”
It makes sense quarterbacks are making quick throws to beat the rush, but that’s the same for any passer trying to avoid pressure. Other dynamic pass-rushers around the league still manage to record sacks, force turnovers and change momentum for their teams.
Those are the things the Giants drafted Carter and Thibodeaux to provide. They aren’t delivering, so Harbaugh and general manager Joe Schoen should be looking for help from veterans like Ngakoue who boast proven track records for getting to quarterbacks.
Pro Bowl Pass-Rusher Drops 1-Word Response to Giants Rumors