Where will Giants turn at LB after release of Blake Martinez?

The Giants released linebacker Blake Martinez on Thursday, cutting bait with a veteran starter days after the 53-man roster deadline. Even after restructuring his deal in the offseason, the new regime clearly didn't see enough to justify keeping Martinez. 

Where do the Giants turn now at linebacker? Tae Crowder entrenched himself as a starter last season, but he was set to be an impact starter with or without Martinez. 

The Giants had a tough time finding a steady fill-in after Martinez suffered a torn ACL last September, giving Reggie Ragland nine starts and Benardrick McKinney three starts. Neither is on the roster. In fact, neither is on an NFL roster right now. With a new regime in place, don't expect the Giants to turn back to either player. 

Rookie Micah McFadden looks like he'll be first in line to start alongside Crowder. McFadden was a fifth-round pick out of Indiana in April and received many snaps in the preseason. He earned the highest pass-rushing grade of any off-ball linebacker in the country during his final season with the Hoosiers, according to Pro Football Focus. 

In a defense coordinated by Don Martindale, an inside linebacker who can also get to the quarterback is probably a more natural fit than Martinez. 

Sixth-year linebacker Austin Calitro could receive more snaps as well. Calitro has spent time with numerous teams since going undrafted in 2017, and he has 47 games (nine starts) under his belt. That experience could be crucial with a fifth-round rookie poised to play a major role.

Art Stapleton of The Record Sports tweeted Thursday that he believes the Giants planned on starting rookie Darrian Beavers alongside Crowder -- only to lose Beavers to a torn ACL earlier in training camp. Beavers' injury might have extended Martinez's time in New York by a couple weeks, but ultimately the new regime decided there wasn't a fit.