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Fansided

Recapping the New York Giants crazy offseason moves so far

By Sayre Bedinger

LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 30: Golden Tate #19 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on against the Washington Redskins during the second half at FedExField on December 30, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 30: Golden Tate #19 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on against the Washington Redskins during the second half at FedExField on December 30, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 28: Defensive end Markus Golden #44 of the Arizona Cardinals reacts after a defensive stop during the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at State Farm Stadium on October 28, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 28: Defensive end Markus Golden #44 of the Arizona Cardinals reacts after a defensive stop during the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at State Farm Stadium on October 28, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Markus Golden, Outside Linebacker

Expectations for Markus Golden should be tempered, but there was once a time when he was a double-digit sack guy under James Bettcher.

That is the potential the Giants are going to try and extract from the guy who, for now, is Olivier Vernon’s replacement at outside linebacker.

A second-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Golden is coming off of a season where he had just 2.5 sacks for the Cardinals.

Part of the reason for his lack of production is a lack of usage. He played more than 70 percent of the Cardinals’ defensive snaps in 2016 when he had 12.5 sacks and under 40 percent of their snaps this past season.

It didn’t help that he only played 11 games.

If Golden can stay healthy, he could have a nice rebound with New York under a coach and in a scheme that he is very familiar with.

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