New York Giants

Giants' DL coach Nunn 'very impressed' with DT Markus Kuhn

Published Jul. 2, 2015 11:46 a.m. ET

foxsports

Entering the final year of his rookie contract, New York Giants defensive tackle Markus Kuhn has one last chance to make a lasting impression with the team.

The former seventh-round pick was extremely raw when the Giants selected him, and he has failed to make a major ipact in his first three years with the team. Injuries pushed Kuhn into more action than he expected in 2014.

With a career high 254 defensive snaps, Kuhn had an opportunity to showcase what he's got, and he struggled. According to Pro Football Focus, although he had one sack and five quarterback hurries, he was a major liability against the run.

Kuhn understands that he won't be able get through another year with the team if he plays the run like that.

"I was always young to the game. But now I've been in the league three years, I'm going into my fourth year, this is the end of my rookie contract," Kuhn said during last month's minicamp, per True Jersey."I have no more excuses."

In an effort to improve his run defense and become a better player overall, Kuhn has added weight this offseason. He's up to 320 pounds after playing last season in the 305 range.

"The big guys set the tone. We have to push back the offensive line. We have to set the new line of scrimmage. Being stronger, being bigger will help with that," Kuhn said. "[The added weight] feels really good. I've been running real well, my conditioning is on par, my body fat is pretty much as low as it has ever been."

So far, it seems like Kuhn's hard work is paying off. He drew praise for Giants' defensive line coach Robert Nunn for his work during the team's spring practices. Nunn was "very impressed" with him during OTAs, when he worked with the first team first team defense.

Fortunately for Kuhn, the Giants did not draft anyone at defensive tackle. However, they did add free agent Kenrick Ellis, who is expected to serve as Johnathan Hankins' backup. The team is also loaded at the defensive end spot, so they could choose to keep one extra defensive end over Kuhn. He faces an uphill battle throughout training camp to prove that he deserves a spot on the 2015 roster.

(h/t True Jersey)

Photo Credit: Don McPeak/USA TODAY Sports