New York Giants: Top 5 Free-Agent Fits at Safety

It’s almost time for the New York Giants to go free-agent shopping. With close to $60 million in cap space and a lot of needs across the board, New York is expected to make more than just a splash or two in the open market.

Where the money will be spent remains to be seen, but to get you ready for the free-agency period, all this week I’m looking at a different position of need on the Giants, followed by a list of five players who might make the most sense for the Giants.

On Monday I looked at wide receiver; today I’m going to look at safety.

Last year, you might remember, general manager Jerry Reese and the personnel department were ready to roll the dice on the youth they had assembled, a group that consisted of draft picks Nat Berhe, Cooper Taylor, Landon Collins and Mykkele Thompson.

Because the team felt confident in the youngsters, it didn’t bother to sign any veterans. Unfortunately for the Giants, the injury bug bit into the safety position, claiming Berhe and Thompson before the start of the season, and affecting Taylor for a game.

Injury issues aside, the lack of a veteran among that group was short-sighted by the personnel department. An experienced safety would have been the ideal role model to help coach the kids up, especially when they were on the field together.

When the injuries struck, the Giants had no choice but to add veterans that included Craig Dahl and Brandon Meriweather. The problem is that both were clearly on the back end of their respective careers.

It would be stunning if the Giants make the same mistake twice. On paper, they need a legitimate free safety to pair with Collins, who is better down in the box.

While it does need to be noted that the safeties in defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s system flip-flop responsibilities depending on the down and distance and personnel package on the field, neither Meriweather nor Dahl proved to be the answer as a deep center fielder.

If the Giants do sign a veteran, it’s not a sign that they’re giving up on the young talent they’ve assembled—after all, a little competition never hurt anyone.

If the Giants think that one of the young safeties they have is worthy of a chunk of snaps and can maybe play that Deon Grant pseudo linebacker role, perhaps that might lessen the need for another linebacker.

Let's take a look at the possibilities at safety.

David Bruton, Denver

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Let’s start with a potential free-agent target who made Pro Football Focus’ list of top 10 free-agent safeties: Denver’s David Bruton, who in addition to playing safety, finished as the fourth-leading tackler on Denver’s special teams last year. 

In 2015, Bruton, who has experience playing both safety spots, played in 497 defensive snaps for the Super Bowl champions, allowing just one touchdown in those snaps before heading to injured reserve with a broken fibula suffered in December.

At 28 years old, the 6’2", 217-pound Bruton is still young enough to be a part of the puzzle for more than just a couple of years in a rotational type of role if the Giants desire to see Berhe or Thompson in that starting free safety role.

Rodney McLeod, Los Angeles

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Another name that doesn’t get a lot of mention but probably should is Rams free safety Rodney McLeod, an undrafted free agent in 2012 who became a starter the following season.

When it comes to coverage, McLeod has just about everything a team could want except for one thing: a high number  of interceptions, of which he has recorded five over the last three seasons.

Still as a deep coverage guy, McLeod has delivered the goods. Last season, he was targeted 21 times, allowing just 12 receptions for 157 yards (65 after the catch) and one touchdown.

He finished as the league’s third-best cover safety, behind Michael Mitchell of Pittsburgh and Charles Woodson of Oakland, based on players who took at least 75 percent of their team’s snaps.

McLeod also finished with the eighth-best overall tackling efficiency rating out of that same group of safeties who have played in at least 75 percent of their team’s snaps, with his 19.5 tackle rate in the passing game second behind Buffalo’s Corey Graham.

McLeod is the only restricted free agent of the group listed in this slide slow. If he's given a low tender requiring no compensation, it would be a no brainer-for the Giants to take a closer look.

Tashaun Gipson, Cleveland

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A popular name that seems to be mentioned in the same sentence as the Giants these days is Tashaun Gipson (5’11”, 205 lbs) of Cleveland.

Gipson is a versatile player who lined up some at cornerback for the Browns last year. A 2012 undrafted free-agent signing by Cleveland, Gipson has 14 career interceptions—his best season was in 2014, when he recorded a career-high six.

Last year, Gipson had some issues in coverage in what was probably the worst year of his young career. In 13 starts, he posted 60 tackles, two passes defended and two interceptions.

He finished the last five weeks of the season with NFL ratings well over 100, which is something you don’t want to see of your coverage guys.  

So what happened with Gipson that his numbers were so poor?

Per Chris Pokorny of SB Nation’s Dawgs by Nature, given the poor play of the Browns cornerbacks, combined with the fact that Gipson often played the single-high deep safety and wasn’t attacked all that often by opposing quarterbacks, the chances weren’t there for him to pad his stats.

Pokorny also opined that Gipson, who in 2014 missed the final month of that season due to a knee injury, “missed more tackles than he had in previous years”—11 in 2015, per Pro Football Focus, up from the six he missed in 2014.

On the plus side, Gipson has picked off 13 passes over the last three seasons, which, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com points out, is one of the highest rates over that span in the NFL. 

At 25, Gipson wouldn’t be that much older than those Giants teammates under contract, but with a Pro Bowl berth on his resume, that coming in 2014, Gipson certainly knows how to get things done out there.

Eric Weddle, San Diego

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Thus far, I’ve written about players who are under 30 years old because I’m thinking long-term.

However, I’m about to make an exception with 31-year-old Eric Weddle.

As noted on my opening slide, the Giants' young safeties need a big brother who can serve as an on-field coach. Weddle would be perfect for such a role given the experience he brings to the table.

If the Giants are truly convinced that the future of the position lies with the kids—Berhe, Thompson or Taylor—given that Weddle is past 30, perhaps the Giants can work out a shorter-term, front-loaded deal.

That would allow for Weddle, a three-time Pro Bowler who in 2011 tied with Charles Woodson and Kyle Arrington for the NFL lead in interceptions with seven, to not only help stabilize the safety position of last year’s worst-ranked pass defense, but also make for a smoother transition when the kids are actually ready to take on a larger full-time role.

The problem is that, according to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Weddle is interested in signing with a contender.

"In the next three or four years, are they going to be competitive, are they going to be division winners, are we going to have a chance at the Super Bowl?" Weddle said, per Krasovic.

As of right now, the Giants are a long way off from having a chance at the Super Bowl.

However, with the right moves in free agency and the draft, it’s certainly plausible for general manager Jerry Reese to get this franchise back on track within the next year or two, especially if the NFC East has a repeat of last year’s poor showing.

Reggie Nelson, Cincinnati

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In an ideal scenario, the Cincinnati Bengals, who per Over the Cap have $38,993,157 of cap space as of this writing, would probably love to keep their defensive backfield intact for a few more years.

The reality is that it might be challenging to do so, as both of their starting safeties, Reggie Nelson and George Iloka, are set to hit free agency.

So I'm going to make another exception to my "under 30 years of age" criteria because Nelson, the Jaguars’ first-round pick in 2007 who jumped over to the Bengals in 2010, might be worth a modest investment if he continues to play at the level he has these last two seasons.

Over that period, the 5’11”, 198-pound Nelson has allowed three touchdowns while picking off 12 passes and breaking up 12 targets. In fact, his NFL rating has only topped the 100 mark once—in 2013—since 2010.

In addition to being effective in coverage, Nelson has had success rushing the passer. Over his career, nine of his 54 quarterback pressures have been sacks. In fact, he’s recorded at least one sack every season since 2011.

Like Eric Weddle, Nelson is in his 30s—he’s going to be 33 in September. Like Weddle, Nelson, a 2015 Pro Bowler, could very well fill that big brother role among the Giants while also giving them some solid veteran leadership as the team’s deep center fielder.

Want another reason to like Nelson? Since 2011, he has played in no less than 92.5 percent of the Bengals' defensive snaps, which would suggest he's been durable as well as effective.

There seems to be a lot to like about Nelson. The only unknown is whether his price tag will align with what the Giants might want to pay.

Unless otherwise noted, all advanced analytics are via Pro Football Focus.

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced.

Follow me on Twitter @Patricia_Traina.