Will Parks and the other underrated offseason pickups in the NFC East
New York Giants
Scouting Report. 2019 team: Giants. Markus Golden. 44. 31. Pick Analysis. EDGE. player
The New York Giants’ most underrated move in the 2020 offseason?
Retaining one of their own.
The Giants placed a bizarre and rarely used “May 5 tender” on Golden, essentially allowing him 2.5 months of free agency with the Giants keeping his rights after July 22.
Golden had the opportunity to sign the tender immediately or anytime after July 22 for 110 percent of his 2019 salary, or he could negotiate with other teams in the 2.5-month window.
No other teams ended up pursuing Golden despite what probably wouldn’t have been a hefty price tag. But why?
Golden racked up 10 sacks and 27 quarterback hits last year, and performed very well against the run.
A defensive run stop is a tackle that results as a failure for the offense.
— PFF NY Giants (@PFF_Giants) July 23, 2020
Markus Golden had the 4th most among edge defenders last season. pic.twitter.com/YSUwShhbbq
Golden is still just 29 years old, and the 2019 season was not the first time he’s reached/eclipsed the 10-sack mark. He did it once before, his only previous 16-game season, with the Arizona Cardinals (2016).
Golden set a career mark in 2019 with 72 total tackles and was one of the Giants’ best defensive players, at least statistically. He returns in 2020 with something to prove and hopefully a much more robust 2021 free agent market.