2022 Giants Position Review: Inside Linebackers

The Giants inside linebacker position has to be a top priority for general manager Joe Schoen to upgrade this offseason.

Inside linebacker is the most unsettled position group on the New York Giants defense, largely due in part to injuries and personnel changes that saw the group the Giants thought they would be relying on before training camp began--Blake Martinez, Tae Crowder, and rookie Darrian Beavers--not being the group they started the season with.

As a result, the Giants went through multiple combinations, including Micah McFadden, Jaylon Smith, Landon Collins, and Jarrad Davis, to shore up the unit with minimal success. In all, five linebackers received starts this season, not because of injury. There were also plenty of times when safeties had to step in to play the role.

The results were mixed. Their bend-but-don't-break philosophy held in many contests, but it could be argued that they bent too much. One of the main issues seemed to be run fits. Too many times this season, running backs went unaccounted for in running lanes that the linebackers failed to fill in time.

Jaylon Smith, who was with the Giants last season but wasn't re-signed, did not start as a Giant in 2022. When he re-joined the team in Week 4, he immediately made his presence felt with six tackles, becoming the second leading tackler (88, behind team leader Julian Love's 116) on the team despite only appearing in 13 games (11 starts).

Smith used his size and speed to get to ball carriers from sideline to sideline. He had a stretch towards the end of the season where he compiled nine or more tackles in five of six games. In the Giants' two playoff games, he had 21 tackles. He played his best football down the stretch, and Smith might have earned a chance to compete for a spot on the 2023 roster.

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MORE 2022 GIANTS POSITION UNIT REVIEWS: Quarterback | Defensive Line | Receivers

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Micah McFadden finished second among linebackers in tackles this season with 59. The 2022 fifth-round draft pick out of Indiana also added two sacks. He dealt with a neck injury early in the season but didn't miss any games and continued to gain opportunities as others fell off.

McFadden was good when he was able to navigate lanes. He struggled with getting off blocks, where he tended to get swallowed up by blockers at the second level. In Year 2, McFadden needs to get better at playing with his hands to shed blockers.

He did flash that nose for the football that made him so good at Indiana. An off-season with the Giants' strength and conditioning program should hopefully help him clean up some of his strength deficiencies for 2023.

Tae Crowder, the team tackles leader in 2021 with 130, came into the season as the Giants' top inside linebacker. Through the first few games of the season, the 2020 "Mr. Irrelevant" performed well and even tallied 11 tackles in a 20-12 week four victory over Chicago. But his performance began to wane, and he started surrendering snaps to Smith, McFadden, and various defensive backs.

After the Week 9 bye, his snap greatly diminished; by Week 14, he was completely out of the rotation. Crowder just did not read well and routinely missed run fits. When he was free to run ball carriers down, he was highly effective, but traffic was not his friend, and he was not a factor in coverage. He was eventually cut from the roster and signed to the practice squad, only to be poached by the Steelers in late December when they lost Marcus Allen to a biceps injury.

Jarrad Davis was a late addition to the defense, coming on board in Week 17 after the Giants tried for weeks to coax him away from the Lions' practice squad. He was a quality tackler in Week 18 and the divisional playoff round against Philly, amassing 16 tackles in those two contests. Given how the Giants wanted him, it would stand to reason that the 28-year-old 2017 first-round draft pick out of Florida might get another chance to solidify his place on the Giants roster, where a full off-season, OTAs, and training camp will help.

Austin Calitro was a great story coming out of training camp. The long-time special teams player not only earned a roster spot but also a couple of starts before he was relegated to his usual special teams position and eventually off the roster entirely. By the end of the season, he was on the Raiders roster as a special teamer after fading from the Giants' picture.

In short, the inside linebackers will likely be the most discussed group in the offseason. Having so many variations throughout the season is not the recipe for sustained success, especially against the better teams in the league. The Giants need guys that can fill run fits, cover, and be durable downhill types. They're anticipating having Beaver back fully healthy, but again, he's coming off a torn ACL, so it remains to be seen if he has lost any of his quickness and speed.

The other inside linebackers--Carter Coughlin and Cam Brown--were primarily special teams contributors., 

Don't be surprised if the Giants add to this group in the draft and free agency--if Tremaine Edmunds of the Bills isn't re-signed or tagged, many expect Schoen to make a bee-line for his former player, and with good reason. Edmunds would immediately upgrade a linebacker unit that has been an Achilles heel for this team for far too long.

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