Revisiting the Giants' 2014 Free-Agency Decisions

Last offseason, the New York Giants spent $116 million on free-agent contracts, according to Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News.

That uncharacteristic spending spree was one of the team’s biggest under general manager Jerry Reese, a spree that brought in more than a dozen new faces. 

Unfortunately, the Giants didn’t quite get what they paid for. Injuries tore through the team—free-agent acquisitions included. The result was a disappointing 6-10 record and a third-place finish in the NFC East.

Just what kind of value did the Giants get from their major veteran free-agent signings? Let’s look at their first-year contributions as Giants, and their prospects for 2015 and beyond.

CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie

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The Contract

Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie signed a five-year, $35 million contract that includes $11.98 million in guaranteed money (including a $10 million signing bonus).

2014 in Review

Thanks, in part, to a last-minute $10 million surge of the 2014 salary cap from the prior year combined with an organized plan to keep Rodgers-Cromartie away from the New York Jets, the Giants locked up one of the best cornerbacks in the game today.

Unfortunately, Rodgers-Cromartie was not immune to the injury bug that tore through the Giants’ locker room.

For much of the season, Rodgers-Cromartie dealt with ankle, back and hamstring issues that were so painful at times that he often had to take himself out of the game.

Here is the scary part.

Despite having injury issues for the majority of the season, Rodgers-Cromartie finished as the 14th-best-rated cornerback among those who took at least 60 percent of their team’s snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

Where Rodgers-Cromartie stood out the most was in coverage. He finished with an 88.3 NFL rating, allowing opponents an average of 11.7 yards per reception.

Overall, he gave up 56.8 percent of the pass targets against him, which isn’t bad, considering his 436 snaps outnumbered his nearest Giants competition, Amukamara’s 257.

While the five touchdowns he surrendered in 2014 were the highest among Giants cornerbacks, he was tied with Amukamara for the best pass-rushing productivity rate on the team—75 percent.

2015 Outlook

A healthy Rodgers-Cromartie teaming up with a healthy Prince Amukamara and Walter Thurmond (assuming the latter re-signs with the Giants) is going to give New York one scary-looking defensive backfield.

2014 Grade: A

RB Rashad Jennings

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The Contract

Running back Rashad Jennings signed a four-year contract worth $10 million on March 13, 2014. The deal included a $2.25 million signing bonus. His 2015 cap number is $2.812 million.

2014 in Review

The Giants got to see up close and personal how good of a between-the-tackles force Jennings is when they faced the Oakland Raiders in Week 10. In that game, Jennings ran 20 times for 88 yards, showing the kind of power and solid decision-making that teams desire.

Despite the fact that Jennings has never made it through a 16-game regular season—he’s played in 64 games in five seasons, a career that has seen him make stops with Jacksonville, Oakland and the Giants—the Giants decided to roll the dice on Jennings, who prior to 2014, had carried the ball just 387 times for 1,677 yards.

In 2014, his season started to decline, despite his comeback attempt from a sprained knee that cost him four games and then the ankle injury that cost him another game toward the end of the season. 

He finished with 639 rushing yards on 167 carries and four touchdowns a year after posting a career-high 733 rushing yards on 163 carries with six touchdowns. 

His receiving numbers also dipped. In 2013, he caught 76.5 percent of his pass targets (36 of 47) for 292 yards and 12 first downs, according to ESPN’s stats. In 2014, he caught 73.1 percent (30 of 41) for 226 yards and eight first downs.

Jennings is a solid locker-room teammate and a natural leader, and his work ethic is the least of the Giants’ worries. His inability to make it through an entire season, though, has to be a concern, especially as he gets older.

2015 Outlook

Part of the reason that the Giants don’t have a featured running back any more is because of the pounding the position takes. Theoretically, having Jennings split time with Andre Williams, the team’s fourth-round draft pick in 2014, should keep both men fresh.

The problem, though, is that like Williams, Jennings is at his best running between the tackles. Neither he nor Williams showed themselves to be threats on the edges.

That’s probably why, according to Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com, the Giants are going to soon be in the market for a running back who can exploit the edges.

That doesn’t mean that Jennings no longer has value to the team. He and Williams form a powerful tag team that is capable of pounding a defense into submission.

For that to happen, Jennings has to stay on the field—and the Giants have to improve their offensive line. 

2014 Grade: B-

OL Geoff Schwartz

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The Contract

Offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz signed a four-year, $16.8 million contract on March 13, 2014, a deal that included a $3.2 million signing bonus as part of the $5.7 million guaranteed.

In 2015, $1 million of his $3.675 million base salary is guaranteed; he will also earn a $475,000 roster bonus if he is on the roster on the fifth day of the 2015 NFL year (March 14). 

Schwartz will count for $4.975 million against the Giants’ 2015 salary cap.

2014 in Review

Schwartz’s 2014 season was a washout, thanks to a preseason toe injury that landed him on the temporary injured reserve list until he was activated for Week 12 vs. Dallas.

He returned to play in exactly five quarters at right tackle in place of the injured Justin Pugh. There, Schwartz earned a 3.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. Unfortunately, a season-ending ankle injury capped his frustrating first season with the Giants.

2015 Outlook

Schwartz should be at 100 percent by the time training camp begins; however, it remains to be seen if he will be limited in the early part of the preseason, given that he would be just five months removed from the season-ending ankle surgery he had in early December 2014.

According to Jordan Raanan of NJ Advance Media, Schwartz—who was spotted wearing a walking boot on his left foot during Super Bowl week—still has a long way to go until he’s ready to return to the field.

When Schwartz does return to the starting lineup, it will be interesting to see where the coaches plug him in. Will it be at left guard, the position he was originally projected to play when he signed with the team last March, or will it be at right guard, the spot where, per PFF, he excelled in 2013 as both a run-blocker and a pass-protector?

The answer may very well depend on where current right tackle Justin Pugh ends up playing. If Pugh is moved inside to guard, it makes the most sense for him to play left guard and Schwartz to play right guard.

The coaching staff could also flip that around, moving Schwartz to left guard and Pugh to right guard. Regardless of the direction they take, Schwartz figures to be a big part of the team’s plans on offense in 2015 and beyond.

2014 Grade: Incomplete

CB Walter Thurmond III

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The Contract

Cornerback Walter Thurmond III, fresh off a Super Bowl championship with the Seattle Seahawks, joined the Giants last offseason on a one-year, $3 million contract, with the team intending to have him serve as their starting slot cornerback. 

Interestingly, the Giants offered Thurmond a three-year deal, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. However, Thurmond only wanted a one-year contract, telling Graziano, “I don’t want to say, ‘Put pressure on myself,’ because I like to think I thrive under pressure. But it’s a situation [in which] I just felt like I have stuff to prove, and it keeps me going.”

2014 in Review

Thurmond was another player bitten by the injury bug. He lasted just two games, suffering a torn pectoral muscle in Week 2 against Arizona.

Prior to that injury, Thurmond’s grades from Pro Football Focus were all on the wrong side of the ledger—minus-0.5 overall and minus-0.4 in pass coverage.

Thurmond’s play in coverage, in particular, was somewhat disappointing. He allowed eight of nine pass targets to be completed for 56 yards, finishing his shortened season with a 92.6 NFL rating. 

However, Thurmond wasn’t the only Giants defender to be victimized in coverage, so it would be unfair to write him off based on such a limited body of work last season, especially since, in 2013, he finished tied for 15th among slot corners in coverage, according to PFF, while also finishing with a 69.6 NFL Rating.

2015 Outlook

Thurmond is set to be an unrestricted free agent, but he has told numerous reporters, including Nick Power of NJ Advance Media and me (on separate occasions), that he would be open to returning to the Giants in 2015. If he does, the Giants will probably try to get him on a multiyear deal for less than the $3 million cap hit he carried in 2014.

2014 Grade: Incomplete

OL John Jerry

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The Contract

Offensive lineman John Jerry signed a one-year minimum-qualifying offer worth $795,000.

2014 in Review

After missing the OTAs and spring minicamp because he had a scope done on his knee, Jerry turned out to be a durable rock, never missing a game.

He was thrust into a starting role when Geoff Schwartz went down with a toe injury and Chris Snee was unable to bounce back from his injury-filled 2013 season.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway to come out of Jerry needing to step into the starting lineup was just how far younger talent, such as James Brewer and Brandon Mosley, fell, as neither came anywhere close to earning the coaching staff’s trust to be out there as a starter. 

So how did Jerry do? Based on his Pro Football Focus history, he was solid as a pass-blocker, finishing with a 7.0 grade.

Run blocking was quite another story, as Jerry’s game lacked any kind of power. He finished with a minus-8.0 grade from PFF.

In fact, PFF had Jerry as the worst run-blocker on the Giants offense, and it wasn’t even close.

2015 Outlook

Jerry is an unrestricted free agent, but he still has value as a backup at guard and tackle, if he is agreeable to another one-year minimum-qualifying offer.

However, if they’re going to use Jerry as a starter, the Giants must upgrade at that right guard spot, especially if they want to get the running game going again.

2014 Grade: C-

OC J.D. Walton

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The Contract

Offensive lineman J.D. Walton, who had missed the 2013 season due to ongoing issues related to a 2012 ankle injury, signed a two-year, $6 million contract on March 13, 2014, to be the Giants’ starting center. Half of his contract’s worth was guaranteed money.

2014 in Review

Although no one on the Giants ever confirmed this, a reason that they probably stuck with Walton ahead of second-round pick Weston Richburg is that with a new offensive system being installed, the coaching staff likely wanted to have an experienced center.

With that said, Walton was part of the run-blocking problems. Per Pro Football Focus, he finished as the second-worst run-blocker on the Giants’ offensive line, earning a minus-11.4 grade that was only slightly better than John Jerry’s minus-16.4 grade.

Walton wasn’t that much better in pass blocking, either, finishing with a minus-8.3 grade, the worst grade of the Giants’ starting offensive linemen.

2015 Outlook

Richburg, a natural center, played left guard as a rookie, a decision brought about, in part, due to injuries on the offensive line and, as previously mentioned, due to Walton’s experience at the NFL level.

This year, things are shaping up to be different. Head coach Tom Coughlin, in a radio interview with WFAN’s Mike Francesa, confirmed that the team sees Richburg as its starting center.

If that is indeed the plan, and if Richburg isn’t injured between now and the start of the regular season, the team has a decision to make on Walton.

Do they ask him to take a pay cut off his $2.25 million base salary due this year and serve as a backup at guard and center?

Or, do they terminate the contract, an act that would result in a $3 million cap savings after a $625,000 dead-money cap hit?

ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano shares my opinion that the Walton is indeed a candidate for having his contract terminated.

The question is, do the Giants agree? 

2014 Grade: C+

LB Jameel McClain

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The Contract

LB Jameel McClain signed a two-year, $4.5 million contract on March 15, 2014. The deal included a $600,000 signing bonus. His deal also provides for up to $150,000 in per-game active-roster bonuses.

2014 in Review

One of the most underrated free-agent signings by the Giants in 2014 was McClain, whose versatility and refusal to let people pigeonhole him into a specific linebacker position made him such a good value for the Giants.

Initially penciled in to be the strong-side linebacker, McClain spent most of the season in the middle when Jon Beason’s toe issues refused to go away.

The problem, though, is that while McClain did a good job with getting guys lined up, he didn’t fare as well in the middle.

Per Pro Football Focus, McClain finished with a minus-12.1 overall grade that included a minus-9.4 mark in run defense and a minus-4.8 in coverage.

2015 Outlook

McClain’s role on the defense could be changing in 2015. Last year in the fifth round, the team drafted Devon Kennard, a solid prospect who, as of the end of the 2014 season, projected as a strong-side linebacker, the role McClain was initially signed to fill.

Beason should be back as the starting middle linebacker, assuming his rehab from toe surgery continues to go well.

The Giants, meanwhile, will need to decide whether to re-sign Jacquian Williams to play on the weak side or to go in another direction.

McClain, who toughed out a late-season knee injury, still has value, even if he isn’t a starter in 2015.

Besides being able to back up the strong-side and middle linebacker roles, he could become instrumental in short-yardage and goal-line packages.

2014 Grade: B-

CB Zack Bowman

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The Contract

Cornerback Zack Bowman signed a one-year, $795,000 contract, a minimum qualifying offer that made him eligible for the minimum-salary benefit (his cap hit was equal to a second-year player’s base salary, plus the $65,000 signing bonus received).

2014 in Review

Bowman joined the Giants after spending six years with Chicago. A solid special teams player who, per Pro Football Focus, finished with a 3.0 overall grade after specializing on the punt-return and coverage units, Bowman had to be pressed into action at cornerback when injuries started tearing through the unit.

That is where things became a little rough for the Bears’ 2008 fifth-round pick. Bowman received five starting assignments, with most of those coming at left cornerback spot.

Per PFF, Bowman was targeted 36 times, allowing 13 completions for 251 yards but also giving up four touchdowns versus recording just two interceptions.

He finished with a 75.1 NFL rating, the third-best among Giants cornerbacks, but a minus-5.1 grade in pass coverage.

The reason for that low grade could have something to do with the number of deep-pass plays that came against Bowman—five, to be exact, when talking about plays of 20 or more yards being completed.

In addition, his four touchdowns allowed were the second-most on the team, one behind Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Breaking down that number, for every 60.5 snaps played, Bowman allowed an opponent to score.

2015 Outlook

Bowman’s strength remains his play on special teams, and for that performance alone, he would most likely be a good fit for the Giants in 2015.

Another, less discussed reason to like what Bowman brings to the table is his leadership. He told me for Inside Football that he has been able to mentor Prince Amukamara, with whom he briefly played college ball at the University of Nebraska.

Given how Amukamara started to really come of age until he suffered a season-ending biceps injury last season, that is another positive reason to bring Bowman back for at least another year.

2014 Grade: C+

TE Daniel Fells

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The Contract

Tight end Daniel Fells was signed to a one-year minimum-qualifying offer of $730,000. His deal did not include a signing bonus.

2014 in Review

Fells actually turned out to be quite a pleasant surprise considering that he had been out of football the prior season, having failed to latch on with New England.

Finishing with a 6.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, Fells was the most complete of the three tight ends on the Giants roster (Larry Donnell and Adrien Robinson being the other two).

As a run-blocker, Fells was head and shoulders above Robinson and Donnell, earning a 3.9 grade from PFF. The same could also be said of his pass-receiving skills, where his 80 percent reception rate topped Donnell’s 72.4 percent.

In fact, while Donnell (87) had far more pass targets than Fells (20), the latter led the Giants tight ends with an average of 11.8 yards per catch and had no dropped passes.

2015 Outlook

Fells is an unrestricted free agent who will be 32 in September. While he is probably not a long-term solution for the Giants at tight end, he appears to have done more than enough to warrant another contract and a chance to compete in training camp for a roster spot.

2014 Grade: A-

S Quintin Demps

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The Contract

Safety Quintin Demps was signed to a one-year, $1 million contract, a deal which did not qualify as a “minimum-qualifying offer because he received $270,000 in combined bonuses and incentives on top of his $730,000 base salary.

2014 in Review

Signed during a time when the team thought it would have Will Hill—he was later waived after earning himself another league-imposed suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy—Demps was supposed to compete for the kickoff-return-specialist job and be a backup safety.

Demps certainly began the season in those two roles, but he was not impressive in either. As a kickoff return specialist, Demps averaged a paltry 21.3 yards per return, eventually giving way to receiver Preston Parker, who averaged 24.2 yards per return.

When called upon to replace a struggling Stevie Brown—Demps started nine games in place of Brown, starting with Week 4 through Week 13—he allowed 56.3 percent of the passes thrown at him to be completed for 104 yards and two touchdowns.

He also picked off three passes and had one pass defensed during that stretch as a starter.

Eventually, Demps was replaced by Brown in the starting lineup, though Demps continued to see snaps as the third safety. However, his minus-5.1 grade on defense combined with his minus-2.8 grade on special teams don’t bode well for a return.

2015 Outlook

The safety position should be near or at the top of general manager Jerry Reese’s “to-do” list, as Demps is one of three unrestricted free agents (Brown and Antrel Rolle are the others).

The team is unlikely to give Demps another season, especially given that he was unable to make hay with the opportunities he did receive not just on defense but as a return specialist, the latter being a supposed area of strength.

2014 Grade: D

DE Robert Ayers

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The Contract

Defensive end Robert Ayers signed a two-year, $3.75 million contract that included $1.73 million in guaranteed money. His 2015 cap number is $2.437 million.

2014 in Review

According to Pro Football Focus’ year-end grades, Ayers, and not Jason Pierre-Paul, was the Giants' highest-graded defensive end, finishing with a 17.6 grade.

Ayers, who took 386 snaps on defense compared to Pierre-Paul’s 981, made the most of his limited opportunities, per PFF. He finished with PFF’s highest pass-rushing productivity (PRP) score among Giants defensive ends (15.2), the PRP score defined by PFF as a stat that measures “pressure created on a per snap basis with weighting toward sacks.”

As a run-stopper, Ayers again led the Giants’ defensive ends in tackles for zero or negative yardage. Per PFF, 9.1 percent of his run snaps were for a loss.

Unfortunately, a season-ending pectoral injury cost him the final four games of the season. 

2015 Outlook

With Mathias Kiwanuka unlikely to return and Damontre Moore’s ability to be an every-down player, Ayers showed in his play last year that he deserves to be a starter. However, it remains to be seen if his role might change any under Steve Spagnuolo.

Certainly, Ayers has shown that he can play that old Justin Tuck role, which necessitated playing outside on running downs and lining up inside as a pass-rusher on passing downs. That versatility alone should give Spagnuolo numerous options and Ayers numerous opportunities. 

2014 Grade: A-

All contract data via Over the Cap, unless otherwise sourced. All player grades and statistics via Pro Football Focus, unless otherwise noted.

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced. Follow me on Twitter @Patricia_Traina.