5 New York Giants on the Hot Seat in 2015

Forget about the catchy slogans that New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin is known for turning into customized apparel for Giants players and staff.

The battle cry for 2015 has already been set by team co-owner John Mara, who in his year-end press briefing with reporters, agreed with one reporter’s conclusion that the 2015 season is a “win or else” season.

While such a strong ultimatum puts everyone officially on notice from the front office right on down to the locker-room attendants, it usually falls on the shoulders of the players to play above the X’s and O’s in order to guarantee that the team has a fighting chance.

So with that, here’s a look at five players who are candidates for the hot seat.

Wide Receiver Rueben Randle

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There are times when receiver Rueben Randle, who is entering his fourth season as a pro, delivers a breath-taking performance, such as his three 100-yard receiving performances in 2014 toward the end of the season.

Then there are other times when he plays a frustrating game, such as being benched in consecutive weeks late in the season for what Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reported was a result of Randle being late for a team meeting.

The Giants need "good Randle" to be available for every game in 2015. Never mind that it is a contract year for the former LSU star—the importance of consistency from Randle is going to go a long way to help the passing game.

Why? With a full offseason to study every nook and cranny of Odell Beckham Jr.’s game, it is just a matter of time before an opposing defensive coordinator comes up with the blueprint to minimize Beckham’s impact on the offense.

With Victor Cruz still a question mark as far as whether he’ll ever be the same player he was prior to suffering a torn patellar tendon, it would help if Randle could consistently get open to give opposing defensive coordinators something else to think about besides stopping Beckham.

Defensive End Damontre Moore

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The Giants had high hopes for defensive end Damontre Moore when they plucked him out of Texas A&M in the third round of the 2013 draft. However, after two seasons, he still hasn’t developed into an every-down defense end.

Part of his delayed development could be a result of offseason surgery that he had in 2013, according to Conor Orr, formerly of NJ Advance Media. The surgery and subsequent rehab no doubt cut into Moore’s plan to add about 15 pounds of muscle to his 6’5”, 250-pound frame by the start of the 2014 season.

Still, there were times when head coach Tom Coughlin questioned why now former defensive coordinator Perry Fewell didn’t give the 22-year-old Moore more defensive snaps.

"Young Damontre, everybody wants him in the ball game, he did have some success the other day with one sack," Coughlin told reporters in November of last year. "He should have been playing a little bit more."

So why wasn’t he?

"He's a better pass defender than a run defender," Fewell told reporters in December. "He does play the run. We'd like for him to play the run stouter than he plays it right now, but I think that he'll be in a rotation. He won't be an every-down defender for us."

Moore ultimately admitted to reporters that he expected to be handed an every-down job early in his career, an expectation that might have resulted in him not doing everything he needed to do in order to earn the coaches’ trust.

"Being a young guy and being so accustomed to coming in, playing early as a true freshman in college, I felt like something was supposed to be given me, which, at this level, nothing's going to be given to you,” he said. “I feel the same type of way, and that's my fault. I prolonged that process.”

Presumably, Moore has learned his lesson after being limited to just 326 defensive snaps, per Pro Football Focus, of which 90 came on running downs.

He, like the rest of his defensive teammates, will get a clean slate in the eyes of new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. It’s up to Moore to take advantage of a situation in which the starting left defensive end job previously held by Mathias Kiwanuka might be up for grabs this year.

Middle Linebacker Jon Beason

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In 2013, the Giants got a glimpse of just how much of an impact middle linebacker Jon Beason can make, especially in the run defense.

They must have liked what they saw from Beason, who was acquired by the Giants from Carolina in a trade after Week 4 of the 2013 season for the low, low price of a seventh-round draft pick.

A cerebral and vocal leader, Beason entered the starting lineup in Week 6 against the Chicago Bears, and in 10 games, he recorded 96 total tackles, finishing second on the team behind safety Antrel Rolle.

His play and leadership on what had been a rudderless defense were so good that the Giants made him an offseason free-agency priority, finally reaching an agreement on a three-year, $17 million contract, the 15th richest deal of out 99 contracts given to inside linebackers in the league, according to Over the Cap.

Then came 2014 and with it, the return of his injury issues—this time around a nagging toe ailment first suffered in an offseason OTA practice. Although he tried to fight through his injury, playing in four games, he was clearly nowhere near being the player he was in 2013 and ended up on injured reserve after electing to have surgery to repair his toe. 

Suddenly Beason, who has played in just 23 games since the 2011 season, was back to being a question mark as far as his durability was concerned.

Unfortunately, that question mark looks as though it’s going to carry over into 2015, especially if the Giants rework his $6,691,666 cap figure, which includes a $1 million roster bonus due on the fifth day of the new league year (March 2015).

While some might think it’s time for the Giants to part ways with the 30-year-old, that appears unlikely to happen, as his departure would leave a gaping hole in a linebacker unit that’s already looking at potentially losing one or more of unrestricted free agents Spencer Paysinger, Mark Herzlich and Jacquian Williams.

With that said, the likely scenario is the Giants will rework Beason’s 2015 cap figure. However, if he is to make it to the third and final year of his contract, he will probably need to stay on the field and show the Giants that he can be even better than he was for them in 2013. 

Left Tackle Will Beatty

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In 2014, left tackle Will Beatty was by far the Giants' best offensive lineman, finishing with a 13.0 overall grade, according to Pro Football Focus, a grade that included positive marks in both run blocking and pass protection.  

So why is he on the hot seat after rebounding nicely from his horrific 2013 campaign?

Because of his contract numbers, which per Over the Cap will be $8.05 million in 2015 this year and $9.175 million next year (he has three years left on his current deal).

To be clear, the Giants are not going to do anything with Beatty’s contract this year, not considering he has the last of his guaranteed money due ($650,000 of his $5.5 million base salary in 2015 is guaranteed).

In addition, cutting him would not yield a savings; the Giants would lose $100,000 by making such a transaction and be without a seasoned left tackle.

For Beatty to avoid the hot seat, he simply needs to have another solid season to begin to establish consistency form year to year.

Based on his various grades from PFF, Beatty has alternated from a minus grade to a positive grade in pass protection every season since becoming the starter in 2011. His grades in that category were minus-5.2 in 2011, 4.6 in 2012, minus-19.9 in 2013 and 4.3 in 2014.

His run blocking has been consistent—even during his struggles in the 2013 season, he still finished with a 7.2 grade in that area. However, he has yet to come close to the 12.0 run-blocking grade he recorded in 2012, his contract season.

With the Giants likely to add some new talent to their offensive line, there is always the possibility that they could replace an older and expensive veteran such as Beatty, especially if his performance declines.

Again, that is not going to happen in 2015, not based on how Beatty performed in 2014. However, his performance does bear watching in the upcoming season, especially if the Giants acquire a player who could conceivably move to that left tackle position in 2016.

Safety Cooper Taylor

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After spending the final three games of his rookie season on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, safety Cooper Taylor devoted himself to the ensuing offseason to bulking up so that he might compete for the vacant free safety position that opened when the Giants parted with Will Hill.

For a while, things were looking up for Taylor, a fifth-round pick in 2013. As reported on Inside Football, he earned some first-team reps during training camp, saying, “I feel like I’m a completely different player from last year.

“Things are starting to slow down for me, but I still have a long way to go. I have a lot of things to work on, but I think with more time I’m here and the more I can show what I am able to do, it will become easier for me.”

Unfortunately, the injury bug got Taylor again, this time in training camp, which wiped out his entire second season. The culprit? A toe injury.  

Hopefully where Taylor is concerned, the third time is the charm. The safety position is likely going to experience a massive turnover thanks to Antrel Rolle, Stevie Brown and Quintin Demps all being unrestricted free agents.

Taylor, if he can stay on the field, will have an opportunity to compete for a starting job as the strong safety if New York doesn’t re-sign Rolle. 

Even if the team does re-sign Rolle, Taylor, who at 6’4”, 228 pounds has that rare size/speed blend, could potentially see time as a third safety or a pseudo linebacker in coverage if he shows the ability to grasp Spagnuolo’s playbook.

If he can’t stay on the field though, the chances of him ever making a significant contribution to the Giants won't look promising.

All salary cap and contract information is via Over the Cap 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.