Giants Country

In Search of the New York Giants' Pass Rush

Let's drill down how Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has tweaked the pass rush and in particular the role of outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux, in trying to figure out why it's been slow out of the gate.

Brandon Olsen

In Search of the New York Giants' Pass Rush
In Search of the New York Giants' Pass Rush /
In this story:

The New York Giants gave their fanbase a new edge rusher to cheer for after drafting Kayvon Thibodeaux out of Oregon with the fifth overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Thibodeaux gave the team an immediate return on their investment by registering 45 pressures as a rookie and 40 pressures during the regular season.

There were expectations placed on Thibodeaux heading into year two that he would take the next step toward becoming a world-wrecking pass-rusher off the edge. Through the season's first two games, Giants fans have begun voicing their frustrations with the lack of production from the often-criticized 22-year-old.

There are multiple reasons for the lack of production, whether they can be directly attributed to Thibodeaux, defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, opposing game plans, or the game's flow.

Thibodeaux was asked about this lack of productivity and pointed to the scheme and his specific role in it.

"Once Azeez (Ojulari) got hurt, you're kind of left in a situation of being on the backside. So I was on the backside on a lot of those plays, and granted, they were getting the ball out quickly. And once you kind of go down in a football game, they're not trying to win with the plays they're running.

So it's a lot of just short runs, and a lot of other guys are making plays. So, for me, it's not about the stat line. I think football's probably the only sport where you can contribute to a game without having any stats. So when you go back and watch that tape, a lot of the balls were run to the other side.

Even with them doing that towards the end of the game, when they did start to run my way, it was about setting the edge. It was about kind of doing my part. And I know teammates before previous have talked about just being able to handle your job, and my main job is to set the edge and to make the runs go back inside so that my linebackers and other players can fill gaps. So, just being able to contribute to a win felt pretty good.

Thibodeaux has been used as a pass-rusher on 43 passing downs through the first two games of the season. Of those 43 pass-rush opportunities, only ten have been on true pass sets. (According to Pro Football Focus, a true pass set excludes screens, play action rollouts, RPOs, and passes in which the quarterback throws the ball in under two seconds.)

This isn’t to excuse the lack of production, as one of Thibodeaux’s two pressures this season has come on a play that isn’t considered a true pass set, but it does add context as to why it may be difficult for Thibodeaux to find rhythm as a pass-rusher.

Those untrue pass sets (for lack of a better term) favor interior defensive linemen to get pressure--it’s why Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams led the Giants with pressures in Week 2, as both Lawrence and Williams had three pressures in untrue sets.

Against the Cowboys in Week 1, the game's flow was dictated by the Cowboys taking an early lead and giving very few pass-rush opportunities throughout the game. It’s important to note that while pass-rush production has been lacking, Thibodeaux did a good job in run defense against Dallas, consistently setting the edge even if he wasn’t the one to finish the play.

On the flip side, there is also the unfortunate truth that through all my years watching football, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a tight end so dominantly handle an edge rusher like Geoff Swaim handled Thibodeaux in Week 2.

In the play below, look to the right side of the field, where Thibodeaux is lined up as a wide-9 before getting stonewalled by Swaim. Swaim had Emari Demercado as an option to help him in pass pro, but he didn’t have to do anything.

Like that play above, Thibodeaux spent far too many snaps lined up as a wide-9 or 9-tech. The 9-tech lines up outside of the tight end’s outside shoulder, and Martindale’s defensive system tends to have his edge rushers line up that wide consistently.

There are multiple reasons why Martindale prefers his edge rushers to line up this wide, but it doesn’t seem to be working for Thibodeaux right now. Those reasons include giving his edge rushers an easier route to the quarterback around the offensive tackle, playing contain on the edge in the run game, and allowing for more chaotic blitz looks, which are a Martindale staple.

The final reason regarding Thibodeaux's "absence" from the pass rush is his deployment--specifically, how often Thibodeaux has been dropping into coverage. In 2022, Thibodeaux dropped into coverage 71 times, including the postseason. That means that he dropped into coverage on 13.2% of his pass-defense snaps.

Thibodeaux has dropped into coverage 13 times through two games, good for 23.2% of his pass defense snaps. The reason for this increase is unclear--it could be Martindale trying to get even more creative, it could be to clog passing lanes as they played some more RPO-style plays to start the year, or it could be a lack of faith in Jihad Ward, Azeez Ojulari, and Boogie Basham in coverage so sacrificing Thibodeaux as a “best of the worst” situation.

There are many reasons, excuses, explanations, or whatever else you want to call them as to why Thibodeaux has "struggled" to get out of the gate production-wise this season. Still, the fact remains that it is Week 3 in his second season, and it’s far too early to call him a bust.

The only truly concerning thing about Thibodeaux’s play or production was that Geoff Swaim stonewalled him multiple times. The scheme will figure itself out. The game script won’t always call for opposing offenses to be in quick-game or running situations. Thibodeaux is early in his career and especially young at just 22 years old. It's far too early to call him a bust.

Published
Brandon Olsen
BRANDON OLSEN

Brandon Olsen is the founder of Whole Nine Sports, specializing in NFL Draft coverage, and is the host of the Locked On Gators Podcast. 

Home/Big Blue+