Robert Ayers has interest from New York Giants
Denver Broncos defensive end Robert Ayers (91) in the first half of the 2013 AFC Championship football game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Giants have been pretty aggressive making upgrades on the defensive side of the ball, and their signing of former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Walter Thurmond was definitely an excellent one. They are still looking to add another defensive end to the mix after losing veteran Justin Tuck to the Oakland Raiders, and the New York Daily News’s Ralph Vacchiano reports that the Giants have shown interest in former Denver Broncos DE Robert Ayers at some point.
Vacchiano writes that the team “had/have some interest” in Ayers to indicate that he isn’t sure if the team is still looking into him. FOX Sports’s Mike Garafolo reported- Vacchiano’s tweet is in reference to Garafolo’s- that the Cincinnati Bengals will work Ayers out tomorrow, as they lost Michael Johnson to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency.
People always like to say that Ayers is a talented defensive end who hasn’t made good on his high-pick status, and I usually like to say that the 28-year-old is one of the more underrated ends in the league. He doesn’t light up the stat sheet on fire, but he’s a very solid pass rusher who is a great run defender as a 4-3 DE. The Giants would be wise to sign Ayers, who would be a great replacement for Tuck and can effectively rush the passer and defend the run as a heavily-used member in a DE committee. He was an underrated key to the Broncos success in run defense, and he also quietly notched a career-high 5.5 sacks with some more solid pressure. There’s no doubt in my mind that Ayers will be an inexpensive option, so a team like the Bengals or Giants should take a long look at him.