NY Giants Twitter Mailbag: The 'What Are They Doing in Free Agency?' Edition

It’s been an interesting start to the 2015 free-agency period for the New York Giants.

On some levels, it looks as though they don’t have a plan and are throwing around money blindly just for the sake of doing so.

However, in response to the question asked by one reader in this week’s mailbag, it looks like general manager Jerry Reese isn’t necessarily making things up as he moves along.

I’ll cover that question in this week’s mailbag, but first, let’s get to some of the other questions submitted by my Twitter followers.

"

@Patricia_Traina Any chance @Giants have a chance/ are interested in Greg Hardy? #askpat

— Caballo (@__MathYou) March 13, 2015"

Thanks for the question. I would be very, very surprised if the Giants take a chance on soon-to-be former Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy.

I am not going to go into his off-field baggage, as I think we all know the story there. However, I am going to address this from a football perspective.  

MIKE MCCARN/Associated Press

You add Hardy to the roster, and then what do you do with Robert Ayers, Damontre Moore and Kerry Wynn, all of whom showed promise to some degree?

I recall seeing a lot of my Twitter followers wondering why Moore didn’t get more snaps. Now those same people seem to want to bury Moore in favor of Hardy?

Well guess what? You add someone of Hardy’s caliber and Moore remains a rotational guy at best. Ditto for Wynn.

So no, it just doesn’t make sense for the Giants to add Hardy.

I wish I had an answer for you. The safety market seems to be drying up at an alarming rate, though I’m sure there are some second- and third-tier candidates out there whom the Giants might have an eye on.

Jordan Raanan of NJ Advance Media reported that the Giants are one of several teams that have an interest in UFA safety Ron Parker of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Reed Hoffmann/Associated Press

However, there have been no reports of a meeting, either concluded or upcoming, between Parker and the Giants, though Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News reported earlier on Friday that Parker, who met with the Chicago Bears earlier this week, left Chicago without a contract.

I wonder if perhaps at some point Parker, who doesn’t seem to be in a rush to sign, might see if the Giants have changed their position regarding a contract.

Perhaps the longer Parker waits, the more likely a team such as the Giants will get desperate and up the ante.

If so, kudos to Parker’s agents for being patient, especially if they can get him a nice contract.

David J. Phillip/Associated Press/Associated Press

I was reluctant to select this question because I come from the school of thought that says wait until the second wave of free agency ends before going back to the draft.

Since I have some draft articles coming up at the end of the month, I’ll give you a preview of what I’m going to write when I have to do my next mock draft: I think the Giants go offensive line unless something major changes in the next few weeks with what's left of free agency. 

I know they just re-signed John Jerry, but as I noted in this analysis, I’m not convinced that Jerry is going to be a 16-game starter for them again this year.

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@Patricia_Traina How close did the NYG get to signing Suh or any of the other marquee free agents this week? #askpat

— Anthony (@ItsTonyD) March 13, 2015"

Thanks for the question, Anthony. Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News reported that the Giants were considering making a run at Ndamukong Suh, but realistically, there was little chance of that going very far because it made zero sense from a financial perspective.

Suh himself, during his introductory press conference with Miami beat writers after inking his new deal with Miami, admitted that money was a factor in joining the Dolphins, notes Lynn Henning of The Detroit News.

J Pat Carter/Associated Press

In knowing that the Giants didn’t have a lot of cap space to begin with once they franchised Jason Pierre-Paul, and in knowing what their other more pressing needs were (many of which still haven’t been addressed), landing Suh was going to be a challenge.

Look no further than his first-year cap hit, which, per Over the Cap, is $6.1 million.

How, if the Giants had about $16 million with which to work with following the franchising of Pierre-Paul, would they have realistically fit Suh in under the cap and addressed the other needs they have? 

As for how close they came with the other “marquee” free agents, I couldn’t say for sure, as again, they had limited money to start with and thus were not in a position to get into bidding wars.

"

@Patricia_Traina have you heard anything regarding an extension for Eli? #askpat

— Bennie Thurmond 3rd (@Ten_no_Hikari) March 13, 2015"

If an extension is in the works, it has been kept very quiet by both sides. I would guess—and this is just my opinion—that they may have discussed preliminary numbers with Manning’s agent, Tom Condon.

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

I would also think that when the Giants need that cap space (yes, I know many of you think they needed it now), then discussions could heat up.

I do think, though, at some point Manning will get what is probably his last NFL contract that will enable him to retire as a Giant.

Now that Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger has signed a new deal, per Bob Labriola of Steelers.com, I firmly believe that will serve as the blueprint in the upcoming Manning negotiations.

The only question is if the Giants plan to rip up Manning’s current contract and replace it with a brand-new deal (the likely scenario) or just add years to the current contract.

I wrote about this very scenario—why it makes sense to do and what they could potentially get. With that said, I don’t think the Giants trade Nassib until they get Eli Manning’s contract extended.

I also don’t see Nassib going anywhere until we get a lot closer to the draft when we can get a better idea regarding what the other teams needs' are and if a potential replacement for Nassib might be available to the Giants if they do decide to trade him. 

I wouldn’t characterize what the Giants have been doing as a “lack of activity.” I have been looking at the contract structures they have handed out and at the roster and how it’s taking shape.

I think I see where they are going with things, and I think the problem here is they are approaching rebuilding their team in one way while the consensus wants a repeat of last year’s free-agent spending bonanza.

The Giants didn’t have a lot of money to begin with because of them having to franchise Jason Pierre-Paul and their inability to do something to lower the cap numbers of either Eli Manning or Prince Amukamara.

On Monday, I’ll break down and grade the specific moves made by the Giants and will also discuss the structures of the contracts, but here are some initial thoughts based on what they’ve done so far and what they might be planning to do moving forward.

Offensive Line

The fifth starter is probably still not on the roster and could be coming in the draft (Brandon Scherff anyone?). John Jerry and Marshall Newhouse are more than likely veteran depth signings at guard and tackle.

Remember, the Giants aren’t bringing back James Brewer; they cut J.D. Walton (who could play guard or center); and they don’t appear to be interested in re-signing Adam Snyder.

Simply put, the depth on the offensive line is short in the experience department—Dallas Reynolds, Brett Jones, Brandon Mosley and Eric Herman have combined to start 35 NFL games (34 by Reynolds, one by Mosley).

Further, none of those young players can play tackle at the NFL level while Newhouse and Jerry can.

So no, the Giants aren’t done with the offensive line yet.

Linebackers  

All three of the linebackers who received new contracts—holdover Mark Herzlich and newcomers J.T. Thomas and Jonathan Casillas—have low cap hits in the first year of their respective deals.

Per Over the Cap, Herzlich, a depth signing who plays all three spots and special teams, will count for $1.2 million if he makes the final roster.

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Casillas, another special teamer and depth signing, will count for $1.66  million, and Thomas, a starter with Jacksonville last year, appears to be a better option as an understudy for Jon Beason in the middle, will count for just $2 million.

There are some fans who have wondered if Casillas and Thomas are upgrades over Spencer Paysinger and Jacquian Williams. That question won’t be answered until defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s personnel plan is unveiled.

One thing that does appear to be shaping up at this position is that if the Giants keep five linebackers as they have done in the past, and if everyone stays healthy, the final roster spot could come down to either Jameel McClain or Herzlich.

Receiver

The addition of Dwayne Harris, whose five-year, $17.5 million deal is the richest of those given to the new free agents, serves two purposes.

One, Harris will likely take over the punt- and kickoff-return duties, the former being more important because it removes Odell Beckham Jr. from that role.

Second, Harris will serve as insurance in case Victor Cruz doesn’t make it back from last fall’s knee injury.

I’ll have more on Harris in Monday’s analysis, including why his five-year contract isn’t as scary looking as it might sound.

Safety

Elsa/Getty Images

To the outside observer, the Giants need to add two starting safeties.

However, one of Cooper Taylor or Nat Berhe will likely emerge as the starting strong safety this year, while the team will likely look to re-sign Stevie Brown at some point to be the starting free safety if its efforts to land Ron Parker or another unrestricted free agent fall short.

The runner-up in the Berhe-Taylor competition will be the third safety, and the Giants will either pick up a Day 3 prospect in the draft or perhaps even an undrafted free agent.

They will also likely add another veteran safety on the back end of free agency just for depth purposes in the summer.

Unless otherwise noted, contract and salary-cap information is from Over the Cap, and advanced stats are from Pro Football Focus.

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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