Giants Country

Imagine This Week 9 Opposing Player on the Giants Defense

Defensive end Maxx Crosby would undoubtedly give the Giants some much-needed depth on their pass-rushing unit.

Stephen Lebitsch

Imagine This Week 9 Opposing Player on the Giants Defense
Imagine This Week 9 Opposing Player on the Giants Defense /
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As we count down to training camp, the Giants Country editorial team went through the rosters of each of the Giants' 2023 regular-season opponents and selected a player that, if the Giants could acquire for the upcoming season, they absolutely should.

Who did we pick from each team? Stay tuned--and yes, for the NFC East teams, we picked two players since the Giants play them twice.

Las Vegas Raiders helmet
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Maxx Crosby, Defensive End

Height: 6-foot-5 | Weight: 255 pounds
College: Eastern Michigan |  Exp: 5 
Career Stats: GP 66 / GS 60, 231 tackles (150 solo), 22 tackles for loss, 37.5 sacks, 7 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, four deflected passes

Ahead of training camp, the New York Giants seem to be a little slim at the defensive end position.

The team’s roster lists two available players for the edge of the defensive line—eighth-year pro Leonard Williams and sophomore teammate Ryder Anderson. While the Giants have an incredibly productive player storming the backfield in the former—Williams holds 21 of his 38 sacks with the team—he has dealt with injuries in each o the last two seasons.

If the Giants were in the market for an extra defensive lineman and could steal a player from an opponent, a player I would love to see switch his jersey to blue and join the defensive end position would be Maxx Crosby of the Raiders.

Crosby has emerged as one of the shining stars on the Raiders’ defensive front and has been their main workhorse for putting pressure on the quarterback. When comparing him to what Williams has done for the Giants over the same span, Crosby trounces those numbers and adds a little more.

According to Pro Football Reference, Crosby has earned 150 of his 231 career tackles on his own since being drafted in 2019, an impressive number bolstered by his career-high 58 solo tackles and 22 tackles for loss in 2022. He also holds two seasons with a double-digit sacks total, including ten sacks during his rookie year and his team-leading 12.5 sack outing last fall.

Williams’ numbers fall short of these feats on the Giants' side. He holds 229 solo tackles since 2019 and just one season with at least 10 sacks since joining the Giants that year. His annual stat lines have fluctuated more than Crosby’s due to injuries, and his rushing prowess hasn’t yielded close to as many quarterback hits, pressures, and forced turnovers as his opponent.

That factor is exactly where Crosby can step in and turbocharge the Giants' pass rush if he switched teams. In 2022, New York finished 25th in yards allowed, 25th in turnovers, 26th in turnover percentage, and 30th in first downs allowed. These inefficiencies made the team unable to get off the field more promptly and pushed their average drive stats into the bottom half of the league.

Even with Crosby in their corner, the Raiders didn’t do much better than the Giants in these same categories. However, in looking at the individual component, the 25-year-old forced more turnovers than half of the players on either defense last season, and his 44 total pressures earned his career-best pass-rushing grade of 83.5 on Pro Football Focus.

MORE "STEAL A PLAYER" PICKS

Week 1: Micah Parsons | Week 2: Budda Baker | Week 3: Fred Warner | Week 4: Tariq Woolen | Week 5: Tyreek Hill | Week 6: Stefon Diggs | Week 7: Terry McLaurin | Week 8: Garrett Wilson

Where Would He Fit In?

It’s clear Crosby's experience may not show on every snap, but it would improve the defense’s overall effort when his presence is there.

With over 3,600 snaps to his resume, Crosby would be a bonafide starter alongside Williams on the Giants' defense. He would provide them with an additional quality pass rusher that can crack down on the edge and create havoc for the backfield on every drive. His ability to get to the quarterback quickly would be a huge asset on late downs when the defense is looking to make a huge stop and put the offense back in the driver’s seat.

If there’s one issue with the addition of Crosby, it would be his penalty woes. The veteran defensive end has been penalized 23 times in his career, including 14 times within the last two seasons, and only two flags were declined, meaning he can have a negative impact on his team if his playmaking gets the best of him.

Still, the pros heavily outweigh the cons, and Crosby would be an excellent grab by the Giants to strengthen their defensive line for what is a much tougher schedule in 2023.

 

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Stephen Lebitsch
STEPHEN LEBITSCH

“Stephen Lebitsch is a graduate of Fordham University, Class of 2021, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communications (with a minor in Sports Journalism) and spent three years as a staff writer for The Fordham Ram. With his education and immense passion for the space, he is looking to transfer his knowledge and talents into a career in the sports media industry. Along with his work for the FanNation network and Giants Country, Stephen’s stops include Minute Media and Talking Points Sports.

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