New York Giants: Signing Keenan Robinson a safe move

The New York Giants continued their defensive overhaul, making a safe move by bringing in ILB Keenan Robinson.

After spending a fortune on three defensive players during day one of free agency, the New York Giants made an under-the-radar move, signing linebacker Keenan Robinson.

According to Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post, the deal is a one-year one, and it’s worth up to $3.5 million.

Keenan Robinson will get a 1-year deal worth up to $3.5M with the Giants, per source. He's staying in the NFC East #Redskins
— Master (@MasterTes) March 10, 2016

Considering the Giants’ almost ludicrous spending during the first wave of free agency, Robinson’s deal is incredibly modest.

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It’s a pretty smart deal for the Giants, especially considering the team was stuck with ‘Uani Unga as the starting inside linebacker for most of the season.

Robinson, who has played all of his career in Washington, adds depth to the Giants’ weak linebacking corps, and he has a chance to start. The 26-year-old linebacker started eight games for Washington last year, racking up 63 tackles. He was relatively quiet, but in 2014 he led Washington in tackles with 109 over 13 starts.

Robinson wasn’t great in 2015, as he struggled immensely against the run. However, he did snag one of only seven Tom Brady interceptions.

Health is certainly an issue with Robinson, as he’s never made it through an entire NFL season. Robinson has missed a lot of games over his career, including four last year, which isn’t exactly promising. On paper, it’s easy to look at this deal as Jon Beason 2.0, in the sense that New York is once against taking a risk on an often-injured linebacker.

But the Giants aren’t breaking the bank to acquire Robinson from Washington.

If I had to guess what the Giants’ plan is by bringing in Robinson, I would say they envision him as a player who can come in and start at the Mike position. Don’t be shocked to see Robinson serving as the player with the headset in his helmet, relaying the plays to the rest of the defense. Robinson — whose nickname is DMT for determination mental toughness — has experience, as well as familiarity with the rest of the NFC East.

Here’s what ESPN’s Dan Graziano had to say about Robinson.

"“Folks who watched Robinson play in Washington say he’s very strong in coverage, which is music to Giants’ fans ears, but that he struggled a bit when asked to handle the responsibilities of making sure his fellow front-seven players were lined up correctly and all gaps were filled. If he’s to play the middle in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, he’s going to have to do better with those types of on-field responsibility. But with six months left before the first game, he’s got time to figure it out.”"

With that being said, I doubt the Giants view Robinson as the long-term answer at the inside linebacker position, despite his ripe age of 26. The team would be wise to draft a linebacker in an early round in May’s draft. I also wouldn’t be shocked to see the Giants bring in another inside linebacker, or re-sign Jasper Brinkley.

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There’s really not a whole lot to hate about this move. The Giants needed help at the linebacker position, and there’s no way you could argue the team is better off with Unga manning the middle of the defense once again.

Here’s a fun, but inconsequential fact: Antonio Pierce, who the Giants also signed from Washington, was also 26 when he jumped ship to come to New York.

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