Ranking New York Giants' Best Remaining Free-Agency Options
On the surface, the New York Giants foray into the 2015 free-agency period hasn’t been splashy or, if some opinions are to be believed, efficient.
For those who might have become disgusted after only a couple of days, Inside Football’s free-agency scorecard lists five new faces, seven departures and 10 returning players from last year.
Among the positions addressed by Giants general manager Jerry Reese include linebacker (Jonathan Casillas, J.T. Thomas and Mark Herzlich), receiver/return specialist (Dwayne Harris), backup offensive line (John Jerry and Marshall Newhouse) and running back (Shane Vereen).
Not yet addressed with any signings include safety, the fifth offensive line starter and defensive end.
It’s entirely possible that the Giants see their needs differently than those of us outside of the organization, but the numbers don’t lie. The Giants are still thin at safety, where Nat Berhe and Cooper Taylor are the only two players under contract.
They still don’t have a fifth offensive line starter, even though they re-signed Jerry, who started at right guard last year.
They also need to add another defensive end if their pass rush is going to be the staple of Steve Spagnuolo’s defense and if the recoveries of Damontre Moore and Robert Ayers aren’t complete by the time training camp begins.
So who is left out there in this, the start of the second wave of free agency?
Here is a list of five players who still have some value and could come at a reasonable price if the Giants are interested.
Note that per Over the Cap, all players listed were unsigned by other teams when this article was written.
5. OT Joe Barksdale, St. Louis
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If the Giants are looking for a road grader for their offensive line to plug in at right tackle so that Justin Pugh can move inside to guard, St. Louis Rams unrestricted free-agent tackle Joe Barksdale might be worth a look.
Last season, the 27-year-old Barksdale finished as Pro Football Focus' 11th-best run-blocking tackle, earning a 5.6 grade.
Pass blocking was a different story, as PFF had him down for allowing seven tackles, four hits and 40 hurries, resulting in a minus-9.4 grade, a drop from the 8.2 grade he earned in 2013.
Barksdale, who began his career with the Oakland Raiders in 2011, has recorded back-to-back 16-game seasons for the Rams in 2013-2014, starting 29 games over that span.
4. DT Vince Wilfork, New England
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Yes, former New England Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork is 33 years old. And yes, the Giants should look to get younger where possible.
However, there are exceptions, and in the case of Wilfork, he might be on the back nine of his career, but he still is producing at a high-enough level.
A mammoth-sized human being at 6’1”, 325 pounds, Wilfork was a brick wall in the Patriots’ run defense last season, finishing with a 10.1 grade from Pro Football Focus. He logged 47 tackles, had two passes defended and had one interception.
While not a long-term solution regardless of where he signs, Wilfork, whose game reminds one of former NFL defensive tackle Norman Hand in his prime, would probably be a significant upgrade over Markus Kuhn and unrestricted free agent Mike Patterson for a Giants run defense that last year finished 30th in the NFL, according to StatMilk.com.
As of Friday, Wilfork had drawn interest from the Houston Texans, according to Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com, so he might not last too much longer on the open market.
3. S Jeromy Miles, Baltimore
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For those of you looking to take advantage of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s connection with the Baltimore Ravens, look no further than Voorhees, New Jersey, native Jeromy Miles.
The versatile Miles can play both free and strong safety. Last year, he was the 23rd-best safety in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
How good was the 6’2”, 210-pound Miles? Per PFF’s signature stats, he finished the 2014 season with a 12.5 run-stop percentage on plays made within eight yards of the line of scrimmage. He also missed just two tackles (out of 82 run-game snaps).
In coverage, Miles received 224 snaps, but was only targeted nine times. He allowed three pass targets to be completed for 31 yards.
If the Giants plan is to let Taylor and Berhe battle it out for a starting job, that’s fine—they drafted both players for that very reason.
However, it can’t hurt to have a veteran on board who can play both safety positions and who, at least in this case, is familiar with what Spagnuolo wants out of his defensive backs.
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2. S Stevie Brown, Giants
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In his first year, back from ACL surgery, Stevie Brown held up well physically, but he didn’t quite look like the same player he was in 2012 when he led the Giants with eight interceptions.
Still, he is probably worth bringing back as the team’s starting free safety if he’s open to signing on a short-term, cap-friendly deal.
In his first season back from the ACL surgery, Brown alternated between free safety and strong safety. He finished with a very respectable 2.3 grade from Pro Football Focus in run support, notching 38 tackles (30 solo), the second-highest tackle total of his career.
Against the pass, Brown had a sack (the first of his career) and one pass breakup. PFF has him down for allowing three touchdowns this season and for allowing 12 of 17 passes to be completed for 300 yards for a 152.6 NFL rating.
Other than having to miss the 2013 season because of his torn ACL, Brown has otherwise been durable for the Giants, playing in 16 games two out of his three seasons as a Giant, with 17 starts.
The good news is that the Giants and Brown’s agent are still having discussions about a possible return, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ Advance Media (via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk).
1. DE Sam Acho, Arizona
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With the physical statuses of Robert Ayers Jr. (pectoral) and Damontre Moore (right arm) unknown, if the Giants are looking for veteran insurance at the defensive end spot, Arizona Cardinals veteran defensive end Sam Acho might be worth having a visit with.
After an injury-filled 2013 season with a broken leg, Acho logged 28 tackles, one interception and one sack for the Cardinals last season in relief of Alex Okafor.
Per Pro Football Focus, Acho finished the 2014 season with a 5.0 mark against the run and a minus-2.8 grade as a pass-rusher.
A solid citizen both in and out of the locker room, the 6’2”, 257-pound Acho, a fourth-round pick of the Cardinals in 2011, still appears to have a lot of football left in his 26-year-old body.
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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