Grading the New York Giants' Free-Agency Moves So Far
The initial reaction of many New York Giants fans regarding what the team has done through the first week of free agency is almost similar to that of a child expecting to find a new pony as a birthday gift only to discover a pair of pants wrapped up in a pretty box instead.
While a pony is every kid’s dream, the pair of paints probably has greater value over the long term in that it’s not as expensive and it fills a need.
Thus you have the story of the Giants' free-agency activity so far. There haven’t been any splashy moves, and those moves may have some describing the team’s approach as “bargain-bin hunting.”
There are still positions such as safety which haven’t been addressed which have caused an outrage with some, but there’s still a lot of time left—and a draft coming up—before all the pieces have to be collected for the puzzle.
So let’s take a look at what the Giants have done in free agency by evaluating what need each signing offers, looking at the contract details as applicable and arriving at a conclusion as to just how good of a decision the move really was.
RB Shane Vereen
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The stats don’t always tell the entire story, but here’s one story the stats do tell.
In 2014, the Giants running backs and fullback—Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams, Peyton Hillis, Michael Cox, Orleans Darkwa and Henry Hynoski—combined to post 62 receptions for 469 yards and zero receiving touchdowns.
Shane Vereen, who will join the Giants' offensive backfield this year after signing a three-year, $12.35 million contract last week, finished 2014 with 52 receptions for 447 yards and three touchdown catches.
Besides being a threat out of the backfield and in space, the role the team envisioned for the now-retired David Wilson, Vereen can run the ball as well. He finished second on the New England Patriots last season with 391 yards on 96 carries and two touchdowns.
Given the physical pounding that the running backs take in this game—Jennings was unable to make it through a 16-game season last year; Hillis and Cox both suffered season-ending injuries, and Williams had to fight through an injury at the tail end of the season—you can never have too many running backs.
That is why the addition of Vereen is a solid move.
Grade: A
LB J.T. Thomas
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Linebacker J.T. Thomas, who signed a three-year, $10 million contract could very well be one of the most underrated of the Giants’ free-agent signings this year.
For starters, he appears to be the early favorite to take over at the starting weak-side linebacker spot for Jacquian Williams.
As with any other position, there will be a competition, but unless a high draft pick is added, Thomas, who started 12 games over the last two seasons and who has missed just one game in his three-year NFL career, should be in the running.
In his career, Thomas has 112 tackles, one safety, five passes defensed, four forced fumbles and two interceptions.
Last year for the Jacksonville Jaguars, he spent time at both the strong-side and middle linebacker positions. When he played outside linebacker, he had better success in coverage.
According to numbers generated by Pro Football Focus, Thomas allowed 15 of 19 pass targets to be completed for 108 yards (7.2 avg.) and no touchdowns.
Those numbers were a marked improvement from his games played in the middle, where he was moved due to injury late in the season.
In those games played at middle linebacker, Thomas allowed 27 of 35 passes completed for 258 yards (9.6 avg.) with 115 coming after the catch. He also allowed three touchdowns and had no passes defensed or intercepted.
Grade: B+
LB Jonathan Casillas
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On a first glance, the addition of linebacker Jonathan Casillas looks to be nothing more than a special teams/depth signing.
However, there might be more to this signing than what meets the eye. At 6’1”, 227 pounds, Casillas has good size and athleticism.
Might defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo be looking at Casillas as his dime linebacker? It wouldn’t be a stretch to think so considering that Casillas’ size is equivalent to that of a safety.
In certain personnel packages, Casillas could help the Giants' defense matchup against tight ends or the bigger and more physical receivers put in the slot.
If that’s indeed how the Giants are viewing Casillas’ role—that in addition to being a backup on the strong side as well as a special teams player—his three-year, $8 million contract might not be as crazy as it first seemed.
Grade: B-
OT Marshall Newhouse
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Former Green Bay Packers and Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Marshall Newhouse, who signed a two-year, $3 million contract that has $1 million guaranteed (including his $800,000 signing bonus and part of his 2015 base salary) is purely a depth signing.
Remember, the Giants are moving away from James Brewer, their fourth-round pick in 2011. With the Brewer expectations having come up way short, the Giants were left without any veteran backup depth at tackle.
Newhouse isn’t a glamourous name. His Pro Football Focus grades from last year, which include a minus-12.2 overall, a minus-8.4 in pass blocking and a minus-3.8 in run blocking, also aren’t very encouraging.
Given that he can play left and right tackle and has “been there, done that” in the trenches, the decision to sign him isn’t the worst move the Giants could have made at the position.
Grade: C
WR/KR/PR Dwayne Harris
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Former Dallas Cowboys return specialist Dwayne Harris received the richest of the free-agent deals handed out by the Giants, a five-year, $17.5 million deal.
Why so much for a “return specialist”? There are three possible reasons.
First, general manager Jerry Reese has made it abundantly clear that, while the organization is hopeful of having receiver Victor Cruz back at 100 percent, until he gets out there on the field and starts moving around, there is no way to tell if he will be fully recovered from a torn-patellar-tendon injury.
Harris, who has 33 receptions for 418 yards and three touchdowns in his four-year career, probably won’t be mistaken for a No. 1 receiver anytime soon, but with the Giants, he doesn’t have to be so long as Odell Beckham Jr. is healthy.
The second reason for Harris’ contract is that the team is hoping to remove Beckham from the dangers that come with returning kickoffs and punts while at the same time, injecting a little bit of turbo power into the return game in order to help improve starting field position.
According to NFL Game Statistics and Information Systems, the Giants 7.7 punt-return average and their 23.3 kickoff-return average were both below the NFL averages of 8.9 (punts) and 23.8 (kickoffs), respectively. That meant that the Giants were more often than not losing the starting-field-position battle.
The third reason for Harris’ longer contract is that this coming season is a contract year for Rueben Randle, the talented, but inconsistent second-round pick in 2012.
While the Giants are holding their breath that Randle plays 16 games the way he did to end last season, they have to have a contingency plan in place just in case things just don’t work out.
Grade: B
LB Mark Herzlich
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Mark Herzlich's return on a two-year contract worth $2.6 million came as no surprise.
Herzlich, who can play all three linebacker spots, posted career highs last season in tackles (52), passes defensed (2) and sacks (1.0).
Per Pro Football Focus, he also had the third-best grade in run support, behind Johnathan Hankins and Jason Pierre-Paul on a run defense that, per StatMilk, finished 30th in the league.
Coverage was another story for Herzlich, who was the lowest-graded Giants defender in that regard (minus-8.1).
He allowed all 15 of the pass targets thrown at him to be completed, with 144 of the 211 yards against him coming after the catch and two touchdowns scored against him in coverage.
Usually a solid special teams player, Herzlich had a significant drop-off in that area. He graded out with a minus-3.5 mark, the second-worst special teams grade on the team (just ahead of long snapper Zak DeOssie).
Herzlich, who in 2013 led the Giants with 13 special teams tackles, finished with just three total special teams tackles last year.
An overall good guy with the inspiring story, Herzlich will probably end up competing for a roster spot this year as his contract appears to be structured in such a way where it will only cost the Giants $450,000 if he doesn’t make the roster.
Interestingly, it could come down to either Herzlich or Jameel McClain, as both players seem to offer similar value in terms of what kind of contributions they're able to make. It would be surprising if the Giants keep both, unless injuries hit this unit.
That the Giants rushed to get him re-signed with the draft still ahead of them and loads of hungry rookies willing to make a mark on special teams shows just how highly the organization thinks about him.
Grade: C-
FB Henry Hynoski
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There is a reason why Henry Hynoski was ranked as the top free-agent fullback on the market, according to Pro Football Focus.
According to PFF, the 26-year-old was the second-best blocking fullback in the NFL last year, behind Anthony Sherman of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Hynoski, who’s known for his high football IQ and his tireless work ethic, didn’t receive as many snaps in the first year of the Giants’ West Coast offense (209, per PFF) as he did in 2012 (428), his last 16-game season.
According to PFF’s breakdown of the running game behind each offensive blocker position, the fullback finished with the second-highest run-blocking grade (5.3) behind the left tackle spot (5.7).
He also wasn’t targeted in the passing game, the first time that’s happened in his four-year NFL career, and he also wasn’t asked to pass-block much.
When he was on the field, he made the most of his snaps. In his 12 pass-blocking snaps, he didn’t allow a single quarterback pressure.
If that wasn’t enough of a good reason to re-sign Hynoski to the two-year contract he received, he was also one of the best and most consistent players on special teams, finishing tied with running back Orleans Darkwa for fourth on the Giants in terms of his overall PFF special teams grade (3.5).
Grade: A
OL John Jerry
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The return of offensive lineman John Jerry, who last year had more than his fair share of struggles in run blocking, also comes as little surprise.
Jerry, who signed a two-year deal worth $3.3 million, according to Spotrac, was initially signed last offseason to provide veteran depth at guard and tackle.
Because of injuries along the offensive line—Geoff Schwartz suffered a toe injury that landed him on the temporary injured reserve list, while Chris Snee was forced to retire—Jerry found himself pressed into a little more action than perhaps was initially intended.
As a pass-blocker, Jerry allowed just four sacks last season, which, per Pro Football Focus, was the second-most by the offensive line behind right tackle Justin Pugh.
His run blocking was the Achilles' heel in his game. Jerry finished with a minus-16.4 run-blocking grade, the worst by any Giants offensive player last year.
In addition, Giants running backs averaged 3.0 yards on the ground, the second-lowest average, when running behind Jerry’s right guard spot.
So why re-sign him?
If the Giants aren’t able to get that missing piece to their offensive line in the back end of free agency or in the draft, Jerry will likely be plugged into the starting lineup for another year.
Grade: C
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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