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NFL Draft

What Should Giants Expect From Markus Golden In 2020?

  • The Draft Network
  • August 11, 2020
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Throughout the offseason we as a staff here at The Draft Network have been analyzing teams in the NFL, determining how ready they are to compete. Part of that process is recognizing where a team could still stand to improve their roster post-draft with an extra addition here or there before training camp.

There’s a saying in football that you can never have too many pass-rushers. With that being the case, any time a team had a pass-rush need, whether desperate or just could use an extra veteran, one name I continued to suggest as a potential addition for almost every situation was Markus Golden.

The 29-year-old Golden was an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and where we knew he wasn’t going to command top dollar, we figured a player of his caliber would be snatched up pretty quickly, as he finished 2019 with a team-leading 10 sacks and 15 quarterback pressures as a member of the New York Giants. However, it wasn’t just days but months that went by where Golden remained unsigned. It wasn’t until August 4 that Golden returned to New York with the Giants on a one-year deal.

“You put in a lot of work during the season,” Golden said. “This is a game that they say if you put the work in, hard work is gonna pay off and the game is going to pay you back in different ways. Of course, (free agency) was frustrating ...

“But, you just gotta work harder and use everything as motivation.”

There was talk of Golden potentially signing a deal of up to $12 million per season this offseason. Instead, he’s back on just a $4.1 million deal. Performance-wise, this is a huge shock. Of the two seasons in his career where Golden has played in all 16 games, he’s recorded double-digit sacks in both, first with 12.5 sacks in his second season in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals, and the most recent 10-sack season last year.

The Giants sort of screwed Golden a bit once the draft rolled around, as they placed an unrestricted free agent tender on Golden on April 27th, which meant if he remained unsigned by July 22, if another team wanted to sign Golden, the Giants would have received a compensatory draft pick. But Golden was still a free agent for an entire month before that happened. 

Golden is once again poised to be a starter next to a defensive line that features Leonard Williams, Dexter Lawrence, and Dalvin Tomlinson. As for the expectations around Golden, we might not be talking about another repeat double-digit sack season, but there is still plenty of reason to believe he can impact games for the Giants.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4AMUJqx5XE

Golden rushed from a two-point stance a lot last season as an outside linebacker. Though he was going up against a tight end in the clip above, the way he was able to show his effectiveness rushing from a stand-up spot, as he cleared the tight ends’ hands, turned the corner, and burst right into the blindside of the quarterback. Not every pass-rusher can stay successful rushing high. Golden can.

Rushing from the two-point stance is a great fit for the kind of pass rush the Giants still needed going into the season. They have Lawrence and Tomlinson to eat up blocks in the middle, and they have Williams to play the 5-tech role. Golden as the stand-up 7-tech or wide-9 player will be useful once again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8SY9ZH3qzE

The play above is a good example of why Golden may not have been the most coveted pass-rusher in free agency, but also why he still brings good value. As you can see in the clip, Golden isn’t always on point with his hands when disengaging blockers. But his motor runs hot, so even in the times where he doesn’t hit a swipe or an outside move as cleanly as he wants, he usually can still gain ground with a power counter or a move to the inside to attack the opposite shoulder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-OZHXmg6-U

Finally, the clip above shows Golden’s strength; that was All-Pro offensive guard Zack Martin he just threw to the ground. Golden might not be an earthmover, but he can surprise you with how strong his hands can be if you’re not ready for it.

The business of the NFL is a game. The compensatory pick formula is part of what went into Golden not being signed for as long as he was, but if you ask me, he should’ve been signed long before August 4. The Giants are lucky they got him back in the manner they did.

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