New York Giants: Rookies would benefit from Ezekiel Elliott suspension

The New York Giants begin 2017 by facing the rival Dallas Cowboys, but key rookies would be able to breathe easy should Ezekiel Elliott be suspended.

Make no mistake, the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys’ opening week matchup was always going to be high-stakes and exciting. Over the past week, however, the looming opener has become even more interesting.

Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliot is still being investigated over domestic violence accusations from 2016, and still could face a suspension. Further complicating things, reports have now surfaced that allege Elliott punched a DJ in the face and broke his nose.

A suspension would be huge blow to the Cowboys, but an even larger sigh of relief to the rest of the NFC East. Every player on the Giants would reap the benefits of Elliott’s absence, especially the defense. One of the more interesting questions is, how would his absence affect the Giants newly drafted rookies?

There are two in particular that I believe will most benefit from his absence: Dalvin Tomlinson and Wayne Gallman.

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By all accounts, Tomlinson and Damon ‘Snacks’ Harrison will be the tandem in charge of defending against the run. The Giants were tied for third last year in run defense, allowing only 1,417 yards and 10 touchdowns. Replacing Jonathan Hankins will be no easy feat for Tomlinson, but he is supposedly NFL-ready and will head into the role guns blazing.

The Giants run defense held Zeke to a combined 158 running yards and one touchdown in the pair of 2016 meetings. Sure, he was a rookie, but he is an extremely talented back who has proven that he can easily run all over any defense. With that being said, the Giants ability to hold him to those numbers last year spoke volumes.

While faith never wavered in Harrison and Tomlinson to be able to slow down Elliott, their job could be substantially easier. Now, Tomlinson and Snacks will more than likely be tasked with holding down the line against Alfred Morris.

Don’t get me wrong — Morris is no bum. He is a solid, veteran running back who briefly wowed the NFL with his time spent in D.C. When he first came onto the scene in 2012, he had the Giants’ number, putting up right around 120 rushing yards in both matchups against Big Blue. No, the Giants did not have the best run defense in the league that year, but Morris still crushed it.

Fast forward to 2017 and Tomlinson and Snacks will now be facing a veteran who is five years into the league and has exclusively played as a backup for some time now. This fact, in itself, will largely benefit Tomlinson as a rookie. Nobody has any doubt about his level of talent, but every rookie comes into his first NFL game with jitters. What matchup would intimidate a defensive lineman more: Facing Elliot or Morris?

Even the most veteran players in the NFL would rather go up against Morris. This matchup will at least take some of the weight off of Tomlinson’s shoulders and clear his mind a bit more so his performance will better reflect his true talent and build his confidence.

Similar to Tomlinson, Gallman’s shoulders will be a little lighter heading into Week 1. Nobody knows how much of a role Gallman is going to play immediately in the Giants offense, but one thing can be assured: He will not have to worry about comparisons to Elliott’s performance.

This may seem small, but it is amazing how vulnerable rookies are to those types of comparisons. Yes, he will always face comparisons throughout his career ,but it will be nice to avoid those his first week of the regular season. No, Gallman will not directly feel Elliott’s absence as Tomlinson will, but he will indirectly benefit by the lack of comparisons.

Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft: Pre-training camp

The Giants, specifically, Tomlinson and Gallman, will be ready for whatever comes their way. The Giants have had the upper hand on Dallas for the past couple of years and it’s hard to see that changing this year, especially now.

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