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New York Giants: Osi Umenyiora return makes sense

By Ryan Disdier

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New York Giants All-Pro defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul was recently injured in a fireworks accident. Pierre-Paul suffered injuries to his hand.

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ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported via Twitter that there’s a concern that JPP could miss the start of the regular season.

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While the team awaits more information, the Giants should look to free agency to improve their defensive line.

Bringing in a young player like Da’Quan Bowers would be a solid move. Bowers, 25, never became the player many thought he would, but he would add a pair of young legs to the rotation.

The option that makes the most sense — and the one that would make the fans the most happy — is bringing back Osi Umenyiora.

Although Umenyiora is obviously not the player he once was, he can still offer a situational pass rush and a veteran leadership.

After leaving the Giants following the 2012 season, the man who holds the Giants record for most sacks in a game and the NFL record for most forced fumbles in a season started 13 games for the Falcons, recording 7.5 sacks in 2013. However, last year was a down one for Osi, as he only recorded a mere two sacks.

So while his production won’t be close to what it was in his prime, a Umenyiora reunion — say that five times fast — still is the most logical option.

The Giants will likely be without Pierre-Paul for the start of the regular season, as the injured star starts his season on the NFI list.

Without JPP, the Giants will need to generate consistent pass rush in order for Steve Spagnuolo’s defense to work.

Speaking of Spagnuolo’s defense, Umenyiora racked up 13 sacks in the one year he played under Spags.

Despite his age, Umenyiora still is a relatively elusive pass rusher. Against the Giants, Umenyiora made Will Beatty look completely amateurish. Osi started rushing wide, then cut back inside, effectively dropping Beatty to a knee.

Basically, Umenyiora broke Beatty’s ankles.

At this juncture of his career, playing wide is probably where Umenyiora is best suited. He’s not going to start if the Giants bring him back, but he’ll fill in very nicely in the rotation.

He won’t provide much in terms of run defense, but he was never a great run-stopping end.

Another tantalizing factor about bringing Osi back is how he could act as on on-field coach. Umenyiora knows what it takes to make it to the postseason, which is something the Giants have failed to do since the last time Umenyiora was on the team.

Spagnuolo’s defense is a lot more complicated than the one Perry Fewell was running during his stint with the team. While whoever has the headset in the helmet — it will probably be Jon Beason, if healthy — can call out the plays, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to have a player familiar with the system helping out younger players.

Speaking of younger players, Umenyiora has helped mold Giants’ third-round pick Owa Odighizuwa.

“I watched [Umenyiora’s] highlights over and over again,” Odighizuwa said, according to Nick Powell of NJ Advance Media. “I watched his drills that he did with the d-line coach who coaches guys out of Atlanta. There was a video of him on YouTube and I was watching it over and over again. I was doing every drill that he did.”

Will a Umenyiora reunion completely solve New York’s pass-rushing woes if they are indeed without Pierre-Paul? No, but it would be hard to dislike bringing back a player who is A) familiar with the team and system, B) still able to generate some pressure, C) a fan favorite and D) not overly expensive.

So while the days of watching him abuse Winston Justice for six sacks may be over, bringing back Umenyiora would be a win-win situation for the Giants.

Next: New York Giants: Could the team lose Jason Pierre-Paul?

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