New York Giants Training Camp Preview: Linebackers

As the month of July nears a close, that means one thing in the NFL; the beginning of training camps. For a team like the New York Giants, it will be another important training camp. Last season it was the offense receiving an overhaul, this time it will be the defense. They brought back a familiar face in Steve Spagnuolo to be the defensive coordinator, replacing Perry Fewell. Also, there are still some kinks to be worked out offensively, as second year offensive coordinator had a good rookie campaign last season in which he will look to build upon.

Also on Empire Writes Back: 5 reasons why the Giants will miss the playoffs

This could be a make or break season for the Giants from a franchise era standpoint. If they miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, we could see a real overhaul not only on the roster, but coaching staff as well. Tom Coughlin has overseen two Super Bowl titles as his time as head coach with the Giants, but very little success outside of that, missing the playoffs six times and being one and done in the playoffs the other four times they made the postseason.

Could the Giants break their streak of missing the playoffs, and continue their trend of winning the Super Bowl every four seasons? Training camp will give a lot of insight to where the Giants are at, as there are plenty of questions to be answered once the Giants open camp July 29th. We will have you covered on the storylines to follow here at Empire Writes Back, giving a position by position preview heading up to that date. The third position we will take a look at will be tight end.

Depth Chart:

Starters: J.T. Thomas, Jon Beason, Devon Kennard
Backups: Jameel McClain, Jonathan Casillas, Mark Herzlich
Potential Cuts: Victor Butler (Suspension), Cole Farrand, Tony Johnson, Devin Unga

More Training Camp Previews: Quarterback, Running Back, Tight End, Wide Receiver, Offensive Line, Defensive Line

The most important player on this unit, and potentially on the defense, is Jon Beason. The pressure is on Beason this season to not only perform on the field, but be a leader for a team that lost stalwarts and veterans such as Antrel Rolle and Mathias Kiwanuka from last season. Not long before that, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora left, so the Giants have a big leadership void that needs to be filled. Beason is more than capable of doing it; it is just a matter of if he will be healthy enough to make it happen.

Health has been a huge problem for Beason throughout the second half of his career. After playing in 16 games for four consecutive seasons to start his career, Beason has managed to play in only 24 in the next four seasons because of a myriad of injuries. He was able to play a full season as recently as 2013, missing only a game because he was traded to the Giants from the Carolina Panthers late into a week. Can the Giants keep Beason healthy?

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They will have to do everything they can to make that happen, as he is the unquestioned leader of the defense. He will fill the role that Antonio Piece did when Steve Spagnuolo last was the coordinator of the Giants defense. Beason knows how important a role that is and he definitely has the intelligence and talent to fill it. There is just serious questions about if he will be able to stay healthy enough to fill it. Expect the Giants to ease Beason in and limit him throughout training camp and the summer to make sure he makes it to the regular season in one piece.

If he is unable to go, the Giants will more than likely turn to the veteran Jameel McClain. McClain’s roster spot may actually be tied to the health of Beason, as there have been some rumors that the Giants could move on from the seven year veteran to save some money. But, he could have a role even with Beason healthy. Spagnuolo likes to have physical guys in the middle, and that is exactly what McClain brings to the table.

But, Spagnuolo could decide to go with a more athletic player such as J.T. Thomas flanking Beason. Thomas is by far the best coverage linebacker the Giants have, something that should earn him a role right from the start. The question is how much of a role; will it be just in sub packages, or will Thomas get a starter’s compliment of snaps?

Nov 16, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants middle linebacker Mark Herzlich (58) and outside linebacker Devon Kennard (59) dive for a fumble during the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

If Spagnuolo is looking for another thumper, then Thomas will not only have competition from McClain, but also Mark Herzlich. Herzlich has improved greatly since the Giants brought him on as an UDFA out of Boston College in 2011. He has earned the chance to play defensively, and if he continues improving as he has could find himself with a nice role in the rotation. But, like Jonathan Casillas, Herzlich makes his hey on special teams. That is probably where he will get a majority of snaps once again this season.

The player to keep an eye on is Devon Kennard. Kennard turned heads last summer after being a fifth round pick of out USC. It took a little while, but those abilities that caught the attention of the coaching staff began showing through once he was given playing time. He had 4.5 sacks in the final five games of the season, showing the pass rushing ability that the Giants were enamored with when they selected him.