New York Giants: Why the G-Men Will Be Winners in NFL Free Agency

The 2012 NFL free-agency period begins Tuesday at 4 pm, and it presents the New York Giants an opportunity to bolster their Super Bowl squad.

Last season, Giants GM Jerry Reese was busy letting players go left and right—guys like Rich Seubert and Shaun O'Hara were released while Steve Smith and Kevin Boss cashed in with other teams via free agency.

But this offseason the Giants have an opportunity to make some moves. Captain Eli Manning restructured his contract to clear some cap room for the team, and New York axed seven-year running back Brandon Jacobs, giving the Giants $12 million to play with.

Or so we thought. 

ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that the Giants were $9 million over the cap recently, which really means that the Giants' latest efforts amounted them $3 million over cap.

With that being said, it's not out of the question for the G-Men to clear up some more cap space to make room for coveted free agents.

So who should the Giants target?

Well, with Jake Ballard and Travis Beckum both starting the 2012 season on the PUP list, the Giants are in need of a tight end.

As I detailed in a previous article, it has been speculated that they may look towards Clemson's Dwayne Allen to fill the void at tight end.

If they want to go in a different direction regarding their draft picks, there are plenty of free agent TEs on the market.

Dallas Clark, who was one of the many Indianapolis Colts released following the departure of Peyton Manning, is available. Aside from Clark, Visanthe Shiancoe, John Carlson, Martellus Bennett and ex-Giant Jeremy Shockey are also available.

Just nabbing a tight end alone would be a win for the Giants in free agency.

But the absence of a bruising running back will take a toll on New York's running game if they don't make a move to find a backfield mate for Ahmad Bradshaw.

The Giants like the idea of coupling a pounding running back with the speed of Bradshaw, and they'll have a chance to do that during the free-agent period.

Peyton Hillis, Michael Bush and Mike Tolbert are all on the market but will most likely demand a lot of cash and a starting job.

Bush played exceptionally well as the backup to oft-injured Darren McFadden, so there's an off chance he may not mind playing backup to Bradshaw. Besides, the Giants do a good job of rotating their backs and utilizing their specific skill sets.

The Giants would be ultimate winners in free agency if they obtained a solid back like Bush and an offensive tight end such as Clark in free agency, but the odds of that happening are slim. Another scenario for New York is to draft Dwayne Allen in the first round of the draft (if he's still available) and go hard after Bush in free agency.

As far as addressing linebacker and offensive line, fellow Featured Columnist Doug Rush believes that Gary Brackett, David Hawthorne, Max Starks and Anthony Collins are all good fits for the Giants.

Ultimately, the Giants must address the offensive line, running back, tight end and linebacker positions.

If they can eliminate two of those needs via free agency, they would be in good shape heading into the draft in April.