With New York Giants training camp beginning in late July, BigBlueInteractive.com (BBI) breaks down each of the team’s positional groups until the players report at Quest Diagnostics Training Center.
FIND A COMPLETE LIST OF ALL BREAKDOWNS HERE
POSITIONAL BREAKDOWN: Linebackers
2024 YEAR IN REVIEW: See my Defensive Line Breakdown for an overall discussion of the New York Giants defensive front scheme and results in 2024. The Giants’ 3-4 (really a 2-4-5) defense remained weak against the run (27th), but was surprisingly effective rushing the passer (9th) despite injuries to key players, few leads, and opposing offenses not needing to worry about point production.
The linebackers were aided by a strong start by Dexter Lawrence, who was a force against the run and the pass. However, Lawrence missed the last five games and his fellow defensive linemen were average at best. Injuries to headliners Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari, and Bobby Okereke did not help matters. One positive was the continued emergence of Micah McFadden.
Outside Linebackers:
The Giants traded for Brian Burns in March 2024 with the Carolina Panthers in exchange for 2nd and 5th round picks. Despite suffering through an injury-plagued season, Burns started all 17 games (79 percent of defensive snaps) and finished the 2024 campaign with 71 tackles, team-high 17 tackles for losses, 8.5 sacks, 18 quarterback hits, eight pass defenses, and two forced fumbles. He appeared on the injury report at various times with ankle, groin, Achilles, biceps, and neck issues, with the groin injury being a problem for much of the season. Nevertheless, Burns finished 4th in the NFL in edge rusher win rate, behind Danielle Hunter, Trey Henderickson, and Micah Parsons.
In 2024, Kayvon Thibodeaux missed five games with a wrist injury that required surgery and landed him on Injured Reserve for over a month. Thibodeaux finished the season with 12 starts, playing in 75 percent of defensive snaps in those games. He was credited with 28 tackles, eight tackles for losses, 5.5 sacks, 17 quarterback hits, two pass defenses, and one fumble recovery. Thibodeaux finished 16th in the NFL in edge rusher win rate.
For the third season in a row, Azeez Ojulari missed substantial time due to injuries. He missed six games in 2024 with multiple lower body injuries (hamstring, calf, ankle, and toe), eventually ending up on Injured Reserve. Ojulari played in 11 games with five starts, being credited with 28 tackles, seven tackles for losses, six sacks, 10 quarterback hits, and one fumble recovery.
Tomon Fox played in 11 games with no starts, receiving 28 percent of defensive snaps in those contests. He was credited with just 14 tackles, two tackles, and one sack.
The Giants claimed Patrick Johnson off of waivers from the Philadelphia Eagles in September. The Giants placed him on Injured Reserve in December 2024 with a knee injury. He ended up playing in 12 games with no starts with most of his playing time coming on special teams (just 46 defensive snaps).
Boogie Basham split time between the 53-man roster and Practice Squad, but only played in four games and registered nine tackles.
Inside Linebackers:
Bobby Okereke was solid in 2024, but he did not play as well as his initial season with the team in 2023. Okereke also was placed on Injured Reserve in December 2024 with a back injury. He ended up starting 12 games, being credited with 93 tackles, six tackles for losses, two sacks, three pass defenses, team-high three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. “Pretty scary disc injury,” said Okereke recently. “I was feeling some nerve pain. Couldn’t really sit for a couple of weeks… (Now) I feel back and better than ever.”
In his third season, Micah McFadden continued to improve. For the second year in a row, he started 14 games, missing three games due to injuries (groin, neck). McFadden played in 75 percent of defensive snaps in those 14 games and was credited with a team-high 107 tackles, eight tackles for losses, three sacks, one pass defense, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. It was also the second year in a row that McFadden surpassed the 100-tackle mark.
Rookie 6th-rounder Darius Muasau played in 15 games with a surprising seven starts as a rookie, missing two games with knee and hamstring injuries. Muasau finished the season with 55 tackles, three tackles for losses, and one interception.
The Giants signed Ty Summers to the Practice Squad in August 2024 after he was cut by the Detroit Lions. The team then signed him to the 53-man roster a month later. In all, including standard elevations from the Practice Squad, Summers played in 16 games with two starts at the end of the season. All of his 112 defensive snaps came in the last three games. Summers was credited with 29 tackles, one tackle for a loss, and one pass defense.
The Giants signed Matthew Adams as an unrestricted free agent from the Cleveland Browns in April 2024. Adams ended up playing in 13 games with no starts, almost exclusively on special teams (he only had one defensive snap).
The Giants placed Dyontae Johnson on Injured Reserve in late August 2024 with an ankle injury. He was activated off of IR in late December. He played in the final two games of the season, but only played on defense in the finale. In those 37 defensive snaps, he was credited with 11 tackles.
The Giants did not seem to have a clear plan for Isaiah Simmons, who was used in a hybrid nickel defensive back and off-ball linebacker role, mostly as coverage specialist. His snap counts varied wildly on a week-to-week basis. Overall, Simmons played in all 17 games with one start, playing in 17 percent of defensive snaps. He was credited with 21 tackles, two pass defenses, and one forced fumble.
The Giants placed Carter Coughlin on the Practice Squad/Injured List after he tore his pectoral muscle in the season opener.
ADDITIONS/SUBTRACTIONS: The Giants re-signed Ty Summers, Tomon Fox, and Dyontae Johnson, but let Azeez Ojulari, Isaiah Simmons, Patrick Johnson, and Boogie Basham sign elsewhere. Matthew Adams and Carter Coughlin also remain unsigned by any team.
In free agency, the Giants signed DL/OLB hybrid Chauncey Golston (discussed in my Defensive Line Breakdown), OLB Victor Dimukeje from the Arizona Cardinals, and ILB Chris Board from the Baltimore Ravens. They also signed ILB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles after he was cut by the San Francisco 49ers.
The big addition was adding OLB Abdul Carter with the third overall pick. The Giants also signed undrafted rookie free agent Trace Ford.
TRAINING CAMP STORY LINES: It’s Abdul Carter. How good is he? And can the defensive coaches show enough imagination to figure out how to get Carter, Burns, and Thibodeaux on the field together without sacrificing the overall defensive integrity, especially against the run and in coverage? Many have speculated we will see Abdul Carter at off-ball (inside) linebacker quite a bit since he played two of his three seasons at Penn State at that position. If so, we could see Micah McFadden’s usage drop.
Kayvon Thibodeaux has not lived up to his lofty draft status, but he’s been far better than his detractors claim. Nevertheless, this is a big contract year for him. He also is potential trade bait if the team is doing poorly before the trade deadline.
Bobby Okereke has two years left on his current 4-year contract. He was excellent in 2023, but needs to rebound from a disappointing 2024 season where he tried to tough it out with serious disc issue in his back.
ON THE BUBBLE: Not counting Chauncey Golston, who I listed under the defensive line, there are currently 13 linebackers on the roster. One of them, Victor Dimukeje, suffered a torn pec in the spring. The Giants will probably keep eight or nine linebackers. Barring injury, the sure bets are Abdul Carter, Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Bobby Okereke, and Micah McFadden. Everyone else is fighting for a roster spot.
FROM THE COACHES: Head Coach Brian Daboll on Abdul Carter: “Abdul has some special traits about him. Some of them you can see out here, obviously his ability to bend and get off and create some issues in the backfield. But we have to play the run game, we have to play the pass game. He’s smart, he’s picked up things. We’ve used him in a number of different areas. I’m glad he’s here, he’s done a nice job.”
Defensive Coordinator Shane Bowen on the edge rushers: “You got three guys for two spots when you look at it from the outside in. It’s a really good problem to have. Got three really good players, three really talented players. Two of them that have done it in this league at a high level… I think that’s something from a staff standpoint that we’re working through trying to find a way. Ultimately we want to get our best 11 on the field, whatever way we got to maneuver to do that. We got to find ways to get the guys that can impact the game on the field. So there is some versatility there. With Abdul he did a little bit of that stuff off the ball in college early in his career, so there is some versatility there and some versatility with what we could potentially do with Burns as well. Again, making sure in Abdul’s case that we understand what it takes to be an edge player in this league and all the development that comes with that. But at the same time, making sure we find ways to get the guys that can potentially impact the game for us on the field.”
Defensive Coordinator Shane Bowen on Abdul Carter: “I think he’s all ball. You can tell he perks up when you start talking football with him. I think just his demeanor, how he carries himself. There is an edginess to him that we have seen translate out here in these few practices that we’ve had.”
Defensive Line Coach Andre Patterson on Abdul Carter: “He’s explosive. He’s quick. He’s sudden. But I think the thing that is unique in him… he has an uncanny ability to feel how to win at the top of the rush. A lot of guys blow the rush when they get to the top of the rush… It takes guys two, three, four years to figure that out. He was born with that… the only guy I have had in my 24 seasons (who did that) was Elvis Dumervil… I had not seen that on tape until (Carter).”
Outside Linebackers Coach Charlie Bullen on Abdul Carter: “Since Abdul has been here, he has worked extremely hard. He wants to be great. The way he’s operated reflects that… The thing that jumps off the tape right away is his ability to finish. That can be a hard thing to teach. He has it… There is some mentality behind that. There is skill set obviously to have flexibility to dip through edges, strength to power through edges, power through blockers, to have some length to wrap and finish on the quarterback. A lot of times it is a mentality thing and he has it… He’s got the mentality to finish, the traits to finish.”
FINAL THOUGHTS: The edge group is the strength of the team. The challenge is to figure a way to get Burns, Thibodeaux, and Carter on the field together. If any of these three sit for prolonged periods, it would be a waste of talent and somewhat of an indictment of coaching staff. Burns and Thibodeaux were far more productive than many fans realize, especially when you factor in how the team’s offense hurt the defense (very few leads, other teams not having to take significant risks). As much attention as Carter is getting, don’t sleep on Burns or Thibodeaux. If the Giants can improve their run defense and the offense can generate more points, this pass rush is going to be fun to watch. Remember, I didn’t include Chauncey Golston in this group, but with the DLs. Nevertheless, he can play OLB in the mold of Jihad Ward.
Does Abdul Carter eat into Micah McFadden’s playing time. He has to, right? And with McFadden also entering his contract year, I suspect the Giants are preparing for his departure next offseason. That’s why it will be important to keep an eye on Chris Board, Dyontae Johnson, Darius Muasau, Ty Summers, and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles in the summer. Aside from depth in 2024, one of these guys may be a future starter.
For those who say Board is strictly a special teamer, John Harbaugh’s quote on Board stood out to me. “He’s an underrated guy. Chris is a really good football player, and on the passing down stuff, he really has a knack – zone coverage, he’s good in man. He’s a good blitzer. So, he definitely brings something to the table. Heck, maybe we should have had him out there a little bit sooner this (past) season.”
In addition, Johnson was a guy pressing for playing time before he unfortunately got hurt in August. Muasau and Summers also flashed at times.
FINAL DEPTH CHART: Abdul Carter, Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Bobby Okereke, Micah McFadden, Chris Board, Dyontae Johnson, and Darius Muasau
(Chauncey Golston is listed under the DLs on the final deth chart).