2015 New York Giants Free Agency: An Early Guide to the Market
The uniforms, practice jerseys and podiums have been put away by the New York Giants, who now must begin the hardest part of the offseason: player evaluation.
The Giants have 19 players scheduled to be unrestricted free agents, a list of which Spotrac has assembled. That’s going to be one part of the equation.
The other factor to take into consideration when anticipating what direction the Giants might pursue in free agency is age, injury status and contracts of players who are currently on the roster.
"We are trying to upgrade at every position on the team. Offense, defense, special teams—we are trying to upgrade everywhere," general manager Jerry Reese told reporters during his year-end press conference.
However, don't look for the Giants to go on a massive spending spree like they did last year because according to Reese, the circumstances are just a little bit different than they were a year ago.
"Last year we had to turn the roster over, and we are not going to go out and spend a huge amount like we did this past offseason in free agency," he said. "(Last year) the roster was getting a little older, so we did have to turn the roster around."
Where are the most pressing needs on the Giants roster? Who might be the targets? Here is a very, very, very early look and a proposed action plan for each need.
Safety
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This winter the Giants will have three safeties—Antrel Rolle, Quintin Demps and Stevie Brown—hit free agency. They also have a younger in Cooper Taylor, who showed flashes of improved talent last year but who ended his season on injured reserve for a second year in a row.
Simply put, the team needs depth at safety. Even if it decides to re-sign Rolle—and general manager Jerry Reese indicated it would have to be at the right price—Rolle would be 33 by the time next season ends and should not be viewed as the long-term answer.
Brown? He had an up-and-down year in his first back from ACL surgery, though at times the struggles in his play were more of a result of mental errors than they were of physical ones.
Still, in watching him on the field, he didn’t have that some burst and quickness in getting himself into position to make a play, which is likely due to the ACL.
Demps appears to be the least likely of the three free agents who will be re-signed by the Giants. Initially brought on to return kickoffs and play in the three-safety package, Demps was unseated by Preston Parker on kickoff returns.
In addition, after getting a chance to replace Brown in the starting lineup, Demps did little to hold onto the job.
Rookie Nat Berhe is also likely to have a much bigger role on the defense next season.
What They Should Do
Yes, Rolle is getting up there in age and yes, he didn’t have one of his better years, this by his own admission to reporters a couple weeks ago.
However if he’s serious about retiring as a Giant and realistic in his contract expectations, there’s no reason why the two sides can’t come to an agreement on a two-year deal averaging around $2 million.
If Rolle’s price tag is too rich for the Giants’ tastes, an interesting and younger veteran free agent target is 27-year-old Patrick Chung of New England.
Per Spotrac, Chung is coming off a one-year $1.1 million deal with the Patriots for whom he mostly played strong safety.
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Chung finished with a NFL Rating of 100.2 in coverage, allowing 60.8 percent of the pass targets thrown at him to be completed while giving up four touchdowns in 16 games this season.
Receiver
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Dreaming of a receiving corps that features Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle as the options?
So is the Giants brass, especially after seeing how Beckham exploded onto the scene, becoming a player that actually keeps opposing defensive coordinators up at night.
While the Giants are optimistic about Cruz making a complete recovery and returning to his pre-injury self, general manager Jerry Reese cautioned reporters at his year-end press conference that there are no guarantees of Cruz being the same player he was prior to suffering a torn patellar tendon.
"It is a significant injury—you never know how he is going to come back from that,” Reese told reporters at his year-end press conference. “We are hopeful that he will come back and be the Victor Cruz that we like, but you never know.”
To that end, Reese admitted that the team would proceed at receiver much in the same way they proceeded last year at running back when they were waiting on David Wilson, who ultimately had to retire from football after spinal fusion surgery didn’t resolve prior issues with his neck.
“You’ve got to prepare as if, ‘What if Victor Cruz doesn’t come back?’” Reese said. “If you are a personnel guy, or a General Manager, that is always in the back of your head. What if this guy doesn’t come back and be the player that we think he is?”
What They Should Do
With Randle entering a contract year in 2015, and receivers Kevin Ogletree and Jerrel Jernigan both set to be unrestricted free agents this offseason, the Giants will probably try to add two new faces to the mix, one being a veteran free agent and the other likely a mid to low-round draft pick.
A veteran option that makes a lot of sense because he would be a fit for the West Coast offense is Green Bay’s Randall Cobb, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent.
With the Packers having locked up Jordy Nelson to a four-year contract worth $39.05 million according to Spotrac, it would be surprising if they dish out another big-money deal to Cobb, who finished as the 10th best receiver per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Cobb will likely command a big contract given that he finished with a career-high 91 receptions for 1,287 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. Cobb, like Cruz, has that breakaway speed and is capable of generating the big pass play.
If Cruz isn’t going to be ready this year but has a chance of being ready in 2016, do the Giants want to tie up big money in a receiver such as Cobb, who will split pass targets with Beckham and Randle?
Inside Linebacker
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Middle linebacker Jon Beason has been like a new man ever since having surgery to repair a toe injury first suffered during a June OTA.
That’s because Beason, who shed his walking boot just before Christmas, can once again feel his big toe when he walks and is looking forward to commencing his training for 2015.
The problem with Beason, who is more than a serviceable middle linebacker when he is healthy, is that he has dealt with one lower body injury setback after another since the 2011 season, a cycle that has many people legitimately wondering if he can be counted on moving forward.
Beason, a three-time Pro Bowler and natural leader, is smart enough to know that his injury history has started to define his legacy in some people’s minds, but he’s determined to not let it become an issue for him moving forward.
“I think it is part of life. We all deal with our struggles,” he told reporters shortly before the end of the season. “Really, what you do in the bad times defines who you really are. For me, I have learned to embrace it and use it as an opportunity to do something big.”
The problem and dilemma with Beason, who turns 30 in January, is that he comes with a big contract and a shaky history.
Further adding to the problem is that the Giants really don’t have a solid backup option at middle linebacker. Jameel McClain handled the role, but appears to be better suited for an outside linebacker spot, while rookie Devon Kennard looks like he might be a better option on the weak side moving forward.
What They Should Do
Unless the Giants are planning to lop Beason off the roster—doing so would save them $3.5 million according to Over the Cap, but cost them $3.833 in dead money—it doesn’t make sense to invest big bucks in a younger veteran entering his prime who might command big money.
The logical answer is to draft a player to succeed Beason in the middle. Initially it was thought that Kennard might be that guy, but given his ability to rush the passer and play with his hand in the dirt, it might behoove the Giants to leave him on the outside moving forward.
It would be surprising if Beason were a cap cut this year, though there is always the possibility he will be asked to lower his $3.6 million base salary.
So what do they do to ensure they have additional depth at middle linebacker?
The answer is to re-sign Mark Herzlich, who will be an unrestricted free agent.
Herzlich, who had his best season in 2014, can provide depth at all three positions much like former Giant utility man Chase Blackburn used to do, and he should come at a very cap-friendly deal.
Again, assuming the Giants draft a successor to Beason in the middle, Herzlich could move to the strong side while McClain moves inside to the middle and a rookie is developed.
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Cornerback
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Like pass-rushers, a team can never have too many cornerbacks, a lesson the Giants sadly learned the hard way in 2014.
Injuries ravaged this unit, taking away starter Prince Amukamara and slot cornerback Walter Thurmond. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, the other starter, struggled through injuries as well.
The bottom part of the depth chart at this position—Jayron Hosley, a third-round draft pick in 2012; veteran Zack Bowman and late-season adds Chandler Fenner, Chykie Brown and Mike Harris—had their issues.
What They Should Do
Because the Giants already have big money tied up in Rodgers-Cromartie and will potentially lock up Amukamara and hopefully Thurmond to go along with Trumaine McBride (already under contract), it could come down to either Bowman or Harris.
Both Bowman and Harris were solid players, but Harris, who is younger, might come a little cheaper. He would complete with youngsters Fenner and Bennett Jackson, both of whom will be looking to earn a roster spot next summer.
Hosley, who was inactive for the final five games of the season, is likely headed to the waiver wire despite having another season on his rookie contract.
Offensive Tackle
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The Giants depth at the offensive tackle position is paper-thin.
James Brewer, a 2011 fourth-round draft pick, has not worked out—the pending unrestricted free agent is not expected to be re-signed.
Neither has Brandon Mosley, a fourth-round pick from 2012 who is now listed as a guard.
John Jerry, who played right guard this year, can also play tackle, but if the Giants look to upgrade that spot, it is possible that he is not re-signed.
Even if Jerry is re-signed, having one backup veteran tackle to potentially fill two spots isn’t wise.
What They Should Do
The Giants got off to a much better spot in terms of drafting offensive linemen that can contribute when they picked Pugh and Weston Richburg in successive years.
They will need to do the same thing again in the 2015 draft by grabbing a tackle prospect that can be developed for depth.
The question the Giants must answer is if they indeed want to leave Pugh at right tackle or move him inside to guard and pay a little higher premium for a new starting right tackle.
Pugh told reporters on Monday as the Giants cleaned out their lockers that he spoke to the team and that as far as he knew, he was still the right tackle for 2015, though he did leave the door open if the coaching staff came to him about moving inside to guard.
“If they ask me to move, they ask me to move,” he said. “You guys keep asking me if I want to move to guard. I think I've done a pretty good job at right tackle, so I plan on staying there."
It might make sense to move Pugh inside to guard, and not because of his arm length, but rather because of the versatility he offers. If he moves to guard and there is an injury at left or right tackle, Pugh has the intelligence and ability to move to either position, thereby making him the first option in the case of disaster.
Of course, if the Giants do move him inside to guard, the question now becomes what do they do at right tackle?
One answer could be Ryan Harris, who started 15 games at right tackle for the Chiefs this season and who is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent.
Per Spotrac, the 29-year-old journeyman is finishing a one-year, $730,000 contract, which means he probably won’t command outrageous money on the open market.
Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Harris, the 28th best offensive tackle out of 44 who took at least 75 percent or their team’s snaps on offense, did not finish with a positive grade in run- or pass-blocking.
What makes Harris an intriguing fit besides the projected cost is that he comes from a West Coast offense, which is what the Giants run.
Presumably, the transition would be a smooth one if the Giants were looking for a tackle with experience in the West Coast offense.
Patricia Traina covers the New York Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and The Sports Xchange. All quotes and information obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced. Follow me on Twitter @Patricia_Traina.
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