New York Giants linebacker Alec Ogletree was brought in a season ago as part of an effort to shore up a weak unit and provide the defense with some much-needed veteran leadership.
Ogletree did that and played above expectations for much of the year, but as the Giants purged much of the team this offseason, he was left wondering what — if any — future he might have in East Rutherford.
“They definitely try to keep you young,” Ogletree told reporters on Wednesday. “It’s a revolving door. They bring guys in to replace you each and every day. You bring new faces in. They definitely bring a new energy, but it keeps us guys that have years in the league definitely on our toes.”
Now that Ogletree has survived the clean-out, he’s begun to look ahead. And despite most of the team’s defensive superstars now gone, he still expects the Giants to spot a top-5 defense in 2019.
“Just a top-5 defense,” Ogletree said. “That’s our goal, is to be a top-5 defense. Right now, we’re on the right track of everybody is here in attendance and putting in the work. Just got to continue to do that.
“I was apart of the defense last year. We didn’t put out our best product that we think we can put out. Guys that were here last year and that came back are looking forward to this year, to going out there and proving that we are a good defense. We just have to put the work in.”
The overriding belief is that the Giants actually got worse defensively, but history may reflect on the personnel decisions differently if Ogletree & Co. can leave the gate with a head of steam.
Ultimately, his leadership will go a long way in determining if the critics have it right or if general manager Dave Gettleman walks away looking like a brilliant mad scientist.
