Giants Country

New York Giants OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux: The Good, The Great, and The Ugly

We examine Thibodeaux's 2023 performance against the Jets and assess his strengths and areas for improvement.

Gene Clemons

Oct 29, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux (5) sacks New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (2) during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux (5) sacks New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (2) during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

After a pedestrian rookie season on a winning team, New York Giants fans and media members openly questioned whether outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux was the right selection. 

Many did not find his four sacks impressive. However, his week 15 performance against the Washington Commanders showed the promise of what he could be at his playmaking best. He had 12 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble that he recovered for a touchdown, and he was constantly in the backfield causing disruption. 

If he could string more of these games together in 2023, he would silence all of the doubters. Well, the 2023 season came and went, and although the team did not enjoy success, Thibodeaux definitely did. 

He almost tripled his sack total from the previous season, and suddenly all of the doubters disappeared. Thibodeaux is now considered one of the building blocks for this Big Blue defense. 

Despite entering his third season, Thibodeaux is only 23 years old, and it would be foolish to believe he does not have room for improvement. He's not content with his performance in 2023, and neither should anyone else. 

He still has so much more to improve on. Last season was highlighted by his Week 8 performance against the Jets. His elite traits were on full display, but we were also able to identify his areas of improvement. We used this game to study the good, the great, and the ugly of the Giants' leading pass rusher.  

The Good: Run Defense

Thibodeaux receives a lot of flack for some of the plays he does not make in the run game, but so many ignore all of the plays he does make. 

He takes on blocks well and he pursues the football. He takes on double teams well and rarely gets reached on the outside to allow ball carriers to turn the corner. It does not always look the prettiest or the most textbook but he is usually effective. 

Does that mean it is without fault? No, but it means that his effort far outweighs whatever execution mistakes he makes. 

In this Jets game, he consistently took on pulling blockers. Normally edge guys are taught to squeeze and spill, which means making the running back bounce outside. 

What he did on a number of plays was box it, then beat the lineman around the edge and make it to the ball carrier.

The Great: Pass Rushing

When you let Thibodeaux hunt the quarterback, he is at his best. He has the explosion to quickly eat up the cushion of a pass blocker. He uses his long arms as range finders and fakes to make blockers put their hands up. 

He has really quick and violent hands that he uses to knock the pass blockers’ hands down or chop through his arms. He then uses a good bend and speed to corral the quarterback.

 In this Jets game, he recorded three sacks and was close on several other occasions. One of the easiest sacks for him is when the quarterback just tries to run away from him and never makes him change direction. 

His acceleration is excellent; if he never has to break stride, you will find it nearly impossible to escape.  He feasted on the Jets like that all game.

The Ugly: Dropping into Coverage

It was interesting to learn that Shane Bowen, the Titans' defensive coordinator, has significantly dropped his edge rushers into coverage over the past few seasons. Giants fans should hope that he leaves that in Tennessee. 

Watching Kayvon Thibodeaux drop into coverage over the past two seasons has been frustrating. The first reason is obvious; if he’s in coverage, he's not rushing. That's where his talent can most benefit the defense. 

When he drops into coverage, it almost never looks effective. He drops to an area, settles, and then looks around, almost as if he’s lost. He takes some bad angles on pass drops and usually ends up covering grass. 

While he is playing defensive back, the quarterback is going through all of his reads because there's little to no pressure. 

Coach’s Counsel

Thibodeaux seems to be motivated by greatness and leaving an undeniable mark on the game. He has flirted with the idea of being different from his contemporaries, but throughout his college and brief NFL tenure, he has not been different from any other pass rusher. 

He still has plays where it feels like he could have done more, where he seems like he is content to simply hold his position. Imagine if he became a relentless hunter of the football. 

It means that his conditioning needs to improve, and he has to be selfish with his pursuit of football. There is no, “Oh, he'll make the tackle.” That will unlock a level we rarely see from the big-time pass rushers who only focus on that part of their game.

Published |Modified
Gene Clemons

GENE CLEMONS

Gene "Coach" Clemons has been involved with the game of football for 30 years as a player, coach, evaluator, and journalist.  Clemons has spent time writing for the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, Bridgton News, Urbana Daily Citizen, Macon Telegraph and footballgameplan.com.  He has a YouTube channel called "Coach Gene Clemons" where you can find his popular "X&O The Joes" series as well as other football related content. 

Home/Big Blue+