Giants' Front Seven Depth Stands Out in Preseason Win Over Lions

On Thursday night, the New York Giants showed their appreciation for the fans who stayed through the rain and humidity by delivering a 14-3 win and coming away without any major casualties.

While the main attraction, receiver Malik Nabers, failed to register a catch (much more of a Drew Lock issue than a Nabers one), New York found success on the ground and on defense, teeing off on poor quarterback play.

Perhaps the most dominant unit was the Giants’ front seven, which logged four sacks and eight tackles for loss, hounding the Detroit backfield.

Backup linebacker Dyontae Johnson had arguably the best day of the bunch, coming out of nowhere to log four tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack.

He immediately set the tone by sniffing out a scramble before Lions quarterback Nate Sudfelt could get back to the line of scrimmage. He looked twitchy and boasted processing that most hadn’t seen coming from the depth inside linebacker.

It’s possible rookie linebacker Darius Muasau gets the favor of the coaching staff due to his draft capital, but Johnson’s play was legitimately impressive and should be enough to keep his spot on the second string.

Elsewhere, interior defensive lineman Casey Rogers had a strong day. The undrafted Oregon product wins with elite athleticism, and did so multiple times. He logged a tackle for loss on a run towards his side of the line and was aware enough to time and swat a pass down when he didn’t win a pass-rushing rep.

He also had a sack negated by a penalty.

Rogers played well, and given New York’s lack of depth , there’s reason to believe his pass-rushing upside can earn him a 53-man roster spot.

Edge rusher Benton Whitley had a nice night, too, logging a sack and flashing excellent technique.

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While only a single sack will count in the box score, Whitley was constantly around the quarterback. Obviously, this all comes with a grain of salt given the level of competition it came against, but Whitley looked the part and made a strong case to be the team’s fifth edge rusher.

A single preseason game won’t be enough to lock down any spots, but the front seven entered training camp weak behind its star-studded starting lineup and left the first preseason game with the benefit of the doubt.