Giants: Team cut ties with Kiwanuka

Long time Giant Mathias Kiwanuka could finally be done with the team after the G-Men released the edge defender.

The move was far from surprising with Kiwanuka scheduled to count close to $5m against the cap, a number that far dwarfed the production the team were getting out of him. The former first round pick was never much of a consistent pass rusher, though he did provide the Giants with some versatility throughout his tenure with the team, manning both strongside linebacker and defensive end spots during his nine years in New York.

Last year he turned his 558 snaps into a -18.3 grade marking his third negatively graded season in a row at defensive end. The chief reason for this being his inability to generate pressure, with his pass rushing productivity scores ranking 44th out of 56 last year, and 45th out of 52 in 2013. At this stage in his career he won’t offer much as a pass rusher, but his work as an edge setting linebacker could see him land an early downs role.

For the Giants this virtually guarantees that one way or another they won’t be letting Jason Pierre-Paul hit free agency, with the franchise tag the likeliest short term scenario. It should also mean bigger roles for Robert Ayers and DaMontre Moore, with Ayers in particular impressing while floating between base end and sub-package tackle in 2014,, earning a +17.6 grade for his efforts. With impressive undrafted free agent Kerry Wynn on the roster, and a deep group of both free agent and draft edge rushers available, the team are well placed to give returning DC Steve Spagnulo plenty of options to get creative in 2015.