Nobody, and we mean nobody, did himself a bigger favor in the final preseason game against the Jets than NY Giants pass rusher Benton Whitley. Whitley isn’t a name many Big Blue fans know, but my goodness, did he look strong against Robert Saleh’s men. In fact, the young outside linebacker has been rock solid all summer.
After good performances against the Lions and Texans, Whitley added 1.5 sacks against the Jets. He recorded eight total tackles, 2.5 sacks and five quarterback pressures throughout the preseason. EDGE depth has been a problem for the Giants in the past, but things are finally looking up. Given his performance over the last month, has Whitley done enough to sneak into the Week 1 roster?
OLB Benton Whitley was on my 53-man roster. This game should only improve his chances. Three tackles, a sack, and at least one more QB hit midway through the third quarter. #Giants
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) 25 August 2024
In the loss to the Texans in Week 2 of the preseason, Whitley was the second highest-rated player according to Pro Football Focus with a grade of 83.0 – Brian Burns had the highest grade at 91.0. So after looking great against the Texans, he followed it up and was a beast against the Jets? Trust me.
Last season, Whitley began the year with the Minnesota Vikings, but eventually transferred to East Rutherford after being poached from their practice squad. He appeared in three games for NY and recorded one pass defense and one fumble recovery. Yes, it wasn’t much in his three matchups with Brian Daboll, but that fumble recovery came on special teams in a thrilling primetime win over the Packers at MetLife Stadium.
As for the pass rushers, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Burns are obviously the leaders of the unit, while Azeez Ojulari will be the first man off the bench. The hope is that Ojulari stays healthy and makes a difference for the G-Men this season, but there have been a lot of transfer rumors surrounding his name lately as well.
Who knows if that will happen or not, but the fact is that Whitley has proven he can be relied upon to step up for Daboll and defensive coordinator Shane Bowen and hold his own against opposing linemen. Before the showdown against Gang Green, he was considered a fringe player. A poor performance could easily have resulted in him not being in the mix for the Minnesota contest. Now, however, it looks like he’s done enough to earn himself a full-time job.
