Giants sign free agents Devin Taylor and Duke Ihenacho
The New York Giants bolstered an already potent defense Thursday with the signings of defensive end Devin Taylor and safety Duke Ihenacho.
Both players were starters last season (Taylor with the Detroit Lions, Ihenacho with the division rival Washington Redskins). Both players will not be starters will not be starters with the Giants. They are expected to compete for backup roles.
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Taylor joins a defensive end group that lacks consistency after Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon. Ihenacho is now part of a secondary that struggled with health in 2016.
Taylor is 6-foot-7, 275 pounds. He started all 16 games for the Lions in 2016. The Giants lack an interior pass rush, something Taylor was very proficient at in. He finished with a career-high seven sacks. Taylor regressed somewhat from the form he showed in ’15, finishing with 4.5 sacks last season. He still had more sacks than Johnathan Hankins (three), who signed with the Indianapolis Colts in free agency.
Ihenacho started 10 games for the Redskins and is a favorite former Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, now a Redskins defensive backs coach. Ihenacho is considered an in-the-box strong safety whose cover skills leave much to be desired.
Taylor has the better chance of the Giants’ Thursday signings to remain with the team. He is a proven starter in the league and fills an immediate need for the defense. Taylor’s arrival should Romeo Okwara, Owa Odighizuwa, and Kerry Wynn on notice.
Ihenacho is in a predicament. The Giants have Landon Collins at free safety coming off an All-Pro season. They have Darian Thompson and Andrew Adams at the strong safety spot. Ihenacho’s signing could be an insurance policy. Nat Berhe missed the final six games of 2016 with a concussion and Mykkele Thompson missed the entire season with a knee injury.
Ihenacho is a somewhat sketchy insurance policy himself. He missed most of 2014 and 2015 with injuries, which is why the Redskins (a team who needs safeties) allowed him to leave.
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