New York Giants: Latest Rumors Ahead of Free Agency
The New York Giants might not have re-signed any of their free agents or added any of the street free agents (those players cut by their former teams) so far during the league’s annual pre-free-agency period, but that doesn’t mean general manager Jerry Reese and Company have been sitting on their hands doing nothing.
Here is a complete rundown of the latest rumors that have popped up since Saturday, the start of the annual pre-free-agency negotiating period, and some analysis as to what makes sense and what doesn't.
S Devin McCourty
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The Buzz
ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported that the Giants are interested in New England Patriots free safety Devin McCourty, widely regarded as one of the top safeties in an otherwise thin market.
Analysis
The Giants were tied for third last year in the NFL (with the Arizona Cardinals and New England) for the third most deep-play passes of 20 or more yards allowed, giving up 62. Of those 62 big-pass plays, 13 went for 40 or more yards.
While part of that might have been a result of the lack of a consistent pass rush, the Giants safeties didn’t help matters with giving the deep help to the corners.
Stevie Brown, who started the year as the free safety, was benched for Quintin Demps. When Demps struggled, New York returned Brown to the starting lineup.
Brown finished with a 125.0 NFL rating in coverage, according to Pro Football Focus, the worst of the three Giants safeties.
Antrel Rolle, who was primarily a box safety, finished with an 80.8 rating, and Demps, believe it or not, finished with the lowest rating (the lower the number the better for a defensive back) with a 66.5 mark.
McCourty? While he finished with an 84.7 NFL rating and did allow 68.2 percent of the passes thrown against him to be completed, he also allowed just two touchdowns and limited receivers to an average of 11.7 yards per pass reception.
McCourty’s price tag could be a little too rich for the cap-strapped Giants’ taste, as B/R’s Jason Cole reported that McCourty is seeking an average of $9 million per year. However, as Nick Powell of NJ Advance Media notes, the contract can be back-loaded so that the first year or two is cap friendly before shooting up the charts.
The Giants should be clearing some additional cap space in the coming days, assuming they can reach a new agreement with linebacker Jon Beason to lower his $6.691 million cap figure.
They could also gain additional relief if they sign defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who was franchised last week, to a new long-term deal and extend the contract of quarterback Eli Manning.
While nothing has been reported about either of those two scenarios being in the works, that doesn’t mean there haven’t been discussions.
Some believe that the Philadelphia Eagles—who were also reportedly in the mix for McCourty, per Yahoo's Charles Robinson—will back out now that they have agreed to terms with Seattle Seahawks cornerback Byron Maxwell, per KBME Radio's Jayson Braddock. But Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ Advance Media reported that might not necessarily be the case.
If, as ESPN's Dan Graziano reported, the Giants are more focused on beefing up their defensive line, their strategy might be to allocate their financial resources on that unit rather than the back end.
Update
ESPN’s Mike Reiss has the details of McCourty’s new contract with the Patriots:
"Devin McCourty contract terms with Patriots, per source: 5 years, $47.5 million, including $28.5 million in total guarantees.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) March 9, 2015"
CB Buster Skrine
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The Buzz
Dan Graziano of ESPN reported that the Giants kicked the tires on Cleveland Browns cornerback Buster Skrine but that Skrine’s price tag is too rich for the Giants’ taste.
Analysis
The Giants' apparent interest in a cornerback likely means that negotiations with Walter Thurmond III have hit a brick wall.
Thurmond, signed last year to be a slot cornerback, only played in two games before a pectoral injury wiped out the rest of his season.
Even before then, Thurmond, according to Graziano, resisted the Giants’ attempt to sign him to a multiyear deal, instead preferring to gamble that he might instead earn himself a bigger contract than the one-year, $3 million contract he did get from the Giants.
Skrine, per Pro Football Focus, was tied with Leonard Johnson of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for allowing the most touchdowns (five) by a slot cornerback who took at least half of his team’s snaps. Still, Skrine finished as a top-10 slot cornerback per PFF’s signature stats, posting a 95.5 NFL rating.
Say what you want about Thurmond, but he certainly isn’t lacking confidence in his abilities to be a top-shelf cornerback, injury or no injury.
While it’s not known what Thurmond is currently seeking money-wise, if the Giants make other arrangements for the slot cornerback spot and Thurmond doesn’t get what he’s looking for on the market, he could find himself having to settle for something less.
As for the slot cornerback position, if Thurmond does indeed depart, look for Trumaine McBride, who took over that spot for Thurmond last year after he went on injured reserve, to fill it until the Giants can get another option.
S Ron Parker
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The Buzz
If the Giants can’t land free safety Devin McCourty, Yahoo Sports’ Rand Getlin reported that Kansas City Chiefs free safety Ron Parker could be on the Giants' radar.
Analysis
While Parker doesn’t appear to be in the same class as Devin McCourty—Parker graded out with a minus-5.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, making him the 41st "best" out of 51 safeties who took at least 60 percent of their team’s snaps last year—let’s revisit a little Giants history.
In 2007 and 2008, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, built a top-10 defense that had some pedestrian names at safety.
Those names included strong safety James Butler and free safety Gibril Wilson in 2007 and Butler and rookie draft pick Michael Johnson the following year.
The point here is that while someone like McCourty would be a great grab, if they can swing it, the Giants might need to give up the idea of adding leather seats to the car and instead spend the money on a more gas-efficient engine, which in this case is the pass rush.
Parker, who can also play cornerback, might prove to be a better value for the Giants given that versatility.
Per Over the Cap, Parker earned $645,000 last year, so a pay raise that ups him to an average of between $2 and $3 million per year might have a more realistic chance of happening as far as the Giants are concerned.
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DT Dan Williams
4 of 8
The Buzz
Dan Graziano of ESPN reported that the Giants have interest in Arizona defensive tackle Dan Williams.
Analysis
Last year the Giants run defense finished 30th in the league and allowed 135.1 yards per game, per StatMilk.
Part of the reason for that drop from their 13th-place ranking the prior year was injuries. The team was without linebacker Jon Beason, defensive end Robert Ayers Jr. and defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins for large chunks of the season.
The depth, though, seems to be the biggest issue, especially at defense tackle. Jay Bromley, their third-round draft pick, didn’t really contribute as much as his fellow Giants draft mates, playing in just 113 defensive snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
The 6’3”, 314-pound Williams played in 475 snaps for the Cardinals last season, finishing with an impressive 13.7 run-defense grade from PFF.
According to PFF’s signature stats, among defensive tackles Williams finished with a 9.1 run-stopping percentage, which was just a hair behind Ndamukong Suh’s 9.7.
In fact, when comparing Suh's (a player some Giants fans wanted) and Williams’ productivity in run defense, there isn’t as large of a gap. Williams played in 57 fewer run snaps than Suh, but his stats kept pace with Suh's.
How close was it? Suh had 36 run-defense tackles and 26 stops; Williams had 30 run-game tackles and 19 stops.
Williams is coming off a 2014 season in which he counted for $2.185 against the cap ($990,000 base salary), so he is likely in line for a nice pay raise.
If the Giants do ink Williams to line up alongside of Johnathan Hankins as a starter for a year or two, then what are we to make of the Bromley pick? Is he meant to be just a depth type of player for that rotation?
We won’t know the answer for sure until Bromley gets on the field more. He should get his opportunities this spring and into the summer, but it remains to be seen if he is ready for a bigger role.
RB Roy Helu
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The Buzz
Jordan Raanan of NJ Advance Media reported that the Giants have interest in Washington unrestricted free-agent RB Roy Helu and Atlanta Falcons RB Antone Smith.
Analysis
General manager Jerry Reese told reporters at the combine last month that the team is interested in adding a David Wilson type of running back to the roster.
By that, he of course meant finding a halfback who can do some damage out in space with the ball in his hands.
Helu, who has good hands—per Pro Football Focus, he caught 42 of 44 passes thrown his way last year for 477 yards—probably won’t be mistaken for a speed burner.
Helu posted just 17 missed tackles with the ball in his hands, and his pass-blocking grade (minus-3.4) put him 49th out of 57 running backs.
As for the 29-year-old Smith, he is coming off a season-ending broken leg suffered midway through 2014 on a punt return.
Prior to suffering that injury, Smith was averaging 6.3 yards as a rusher, though per Pro Football Focus, he only managed to gain 75 of his 144 yards after contact.
As a receiver, he caught 13 out of 15 balls thrown his way for 222 yards and three touchdowns last year.
Smith brings that big-play ability the Giants were hoping to have with Wilson. He had five touchdowns on 36 touches this past season, including a 74-yard touchdown reception against the Giants in a Week 5 loss.
Smith could probably be had for a bargain-type contract given that he's coming off injury, but if he still has a ways to go before being back to his pre-injury self, the Giants might want to pass.
While there is little doubt the Giants intend to bring in another running back to compete with Orleans Darkwa and Michael Cox for that third-down back role, given that the running back class is so deep this year and the overall demand for running backs seems to be less than the supply, the Giants can probably afford to wait this position out.
LB Brooks Reed
6 of 8
The Buzz
With the Giants reportedly planning to move on from starting weak-side linebacker Jacquian Williams, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ Advance Media, Drew Boylhart of The Huddle Report tweeted that New York has expressed interest in Houston Texans outside linebacker Brooks Reed.
That interest, though, might not be mutual, according to Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News, who reported that while there is interest on the Giants’ part, right now they aren’t the front-runners for Reed’s services.
Analysis
The Giants are in need of a solid, athletic outside linebacker for the weak side who shows instincts for the game and is not susceptible to mental errors that result in tackles made several yards downfield. That, unfortunately for them, wasn’t Williams, one of their sixth-round draft picks in 2011.
Could it be Reed, a second-round pick of the Texans that same year the Giants drafted Williams? Per Pro Football Focus, Reed participated in 144 coverage snaps last year but was only targeted nine times by opponents, allowing six completions for 55 yards.
He also allowed just one pass completion for more than 20 yards, that coming in Week 17 against the Jacksonville Jaguars when he gave up a 24-yard reception.
How does that compare to Williams?
Per PFF, he was targeted 44 times, allowing 233 completions for 4,334 yards (13.1 yards per completion). Five of those completed passes went for 20 or more yards, with two going for 30 or more yards.
Based on stats, Reed seems to have been a more productive player in Houston’s 3-4 defense, but it takes two sides to make a contract.
If the other teams showing interest in Reed are coming in with a better offer than the Giants, who haven’t historically splurged on linebacker talent, it sounds like New York will have to continue its search for a new starting weak-side linebacker.
S Rahim Moore
7 of 8
The Buzz
According to Jordan Raanan of NJ Advance Media, Denver Broncos safety Rahim Moore is also on the Giants’ radar.
Analysis
If these reports about the Giants having kicked the tires on multiple safeties prove to be true, it’s not surprising given that the draft class is regarded as being thin.
Of the three safeties linked to the Giants—Devin McCourty and Ron Parker were covered earlier in this slideshow—all three are primarily free safeties, a position the Giants don’t really have on their roster.
While youngsters Nat Berhe (23) and Cooper Taylor (24) will get a chance to compete for a starting job next year, both look as though they are more of a box safety type than a free safety who can drift back into coverage to provide the deep help.
So where does Moore stand as far as coverage? Per Pro Football Focus, he graded out as the 20th-best safety out of 51 who took at least 50 percent of their team’s defensive snaps last year.
The drawback though could be in the price. According to a report by Mike Klis of The Denver Post, Moore is seeking a deal that pays him an average of $5 million per year.
Of the three free safety prospects linked to the Giants, Parker probably makes the most sense in terms of value given that he can also play cornerback.
DE/OLB Brandon Graham
8 of 8
The Buzz
ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported that the Giants are looking to beef up their defensive line. Two names the team could be eyeing, he reports, are Buffalo Bills DE Jerry Hughes and Eagles DE/OLB Brandon Graham.
Hughes, per Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News, is reportedly close to returning to the Bills; Graham, however, appears to be still in play for the Giants, per Graziano.
Analysis
B/R’s Cian Fahey provides an excellent breakdown of Graham and what he brings to the table as far as production, noting that Graham has underperformed in his five-year NFL career:
"Graham has been in the NFL for five seasons. He has been active on game day 64 times during his career, but only 13 of those appearances were starts. At 26 years of age, Graham has just 121 total tackles in his career with 17 sacks and nine forced fumbles.
"
So why is the 13th overall pick in the 2010 draft a good fit for the Giants? For one, he’s probably better suited for a 4-3 defense as an edge-rusher, which is a need.
Coming off a solid 2014 season in which he tied his career high in sacks with 5.5 and where he recorded four forced fumbles, Graham might finally be starting to put things together as the pass-rushing talent the Eagles likely envisioned when they drafted him in 2010.
Graham is exactly the kind of player the Giants tend to go after—an underachieving young veteran who offers a potentially big reward for the team that takes a risk on him.
As such, he could be agreeable to a contract that is loaded with incentives, thus making him a reasonable acquisition for the price.
All advanced stats are from Pro Football Focus unless otherwise noted. All contract information is from 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.
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