There are a few starting spots up for grabs on the New York Giants, one of which is the second starting inside linebacker role alongside Bobby Okereke, where it's become a two-man race between second-year men Micah McFadden and Darrian Beavers.
And according to defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, McFadden is winning that competition after over a dozen practices and one preseason game.
"I thought Micah played really well in the game," Martindale told reporters Tuesday. "He did a lot of good things."
McFadden, who received 14 defensive snaps in last week's game while Beavers did not play in the game despite having been able to practice all summer long, didn't exactly light up the stat sheet.
But what McFadden, who along with Carter Coughlin got the start last week at ILB against the Lions, did accomplish stood out; specifically, the play in which he closed in on a ball carrier to limit running back Mohamed Ibrahim on a second-quarter run up the middle that went for just two yards.
That kind of heads-up play is something that the 6-foot-2, 232-pound linebacker has also done a handful of times in practices against his teammates this summer.
McFadden, who looks a bit quicker than he did as a rookie, was the only Giants 2022 rookie draft class member to not miss time because of injury. That experience he accumulated, which included eight starts at the weakside linebacker spot for Martindale last year, has been a major advantage for him in his competition with Beavers.
"I think that this is truly Beavers’ rookie year because of the ACL, and he's missed so many practices that Micah’s got a year under his belt," Martindale said.
While not quite the thumper that Beavers is, McFadden does have another underrated part of his game, which is the ability to blitz. Last year on 24 blitzes, McFadden produced one hurry and two sacks for a respectable 9.3 percent pass-rush win rate. And this summer, he's been spotted rushing the passer in practices.
While Martindale wasn't ready to officially declare a winner, he made it clear who has the competitive edge as the Giants enter these last few weeks of training camp.
"It’s a good competition, and Micah is definitely leading right now. So, we'll see where that goes and where that takes it," he said.
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