Breaking Down the New York Giants' Top Remaining Free-Agent Needs
After making a huge splash in the first official day of free agency, the New York Giants probably knocked enough water out of the pool that they'll need to tread lightly in addressing their remaining needs.
The good news is that the Giants did at least fix a glaring problem from last year: their defensive line. Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul will return on a one-year prove-it deal, while top free agents such as defensive end Olivier Vernon and defensive tackle Damon Harrison will team up with Pierre-Paul and Johnathan Hankins in what looks to be a significantly improved defensive front.
On the back end, the Giants opted for cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who will in all likelihood serve as the wall that prevents Prince Amukamara’s return.
Despite making waves, there is still a lot more to be done as the candidate pool at each position continues to dry up. So let’s take a look at the Giants’ remaining needs as free agency heads into its third day and toss out a name who might be in the running to fill each one.
Offensive Tackle
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With all the attention being paid to the defense, it’s worth remembering that the Giants have a couple of holes on the offensive side of the ball that need addressing.
The first is on the offensive line, where the Giants appear to have four of their five starters in place for 2016—left tackle Ereck Flowers, left guard Justin Pugh, center Weston Richburg are locks, and second-year man Bobby Hart is projected to be the new starting right guard.
Right tackle is another story. Although Marshall Newhouse, last year’s starter, is still under contract, the Giants are looking to upgrade.
One such possibility could be Seattle’s Russell Okung, whom NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported is coming in for a visit with the Giants on Friday.
Okung, a 2010 first-round pick by Seattle, has been a solid left tackle for Seattle—that is, when he’s been on the field. The 28-year-old Okung has yet to make it through a 16-game season. When he has been on the field, it’s been as a starter.
While still very much in his prime, the question is whether he’d be able to pass a physical in time to actually contribute when the Giants open training camp.
That might be a long shot considering that, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, Okung told reporters in late January that he'd need five months to recover from surgery.
Receiver
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Earlier this week, the Giants and receiver Victor Cruz came to an agreement on a contract restructuring, according to Art Stapleton of the Record.
However, just as the Giants didn’t put all their eggs in Cruz’s basket last year when he was coming off season-ending knee surgery, they'll probably take a similar approach this year with the receiver coming off a calf injury.
Unfortunately, while the Giants were busy trying to address the defense, the receiver market dried up fairly quickly, leaving the Giants with very few options if they feel that plugging in a veteran is the way to go. And if that is indeed the case, don’t be stunned if they turn to old friend Rueben Randle for one more year.
Despite being the very definition of a “coach killer,” there are two reasons why the Giants might look to bring the former LSU product back ahead of a veteran such as Anquan Boldin.
The first reason is that Randle knows the system, but perhaps a bigger and more important reason is that his old college position coach, Adam Henry, is now the Giants' receivers coach.
While not set in stone, perhaps there is a chance that Randle might finally flourish under Henry’s tutelage and become the receiver the Giants hoped for when they drafted him in the second round in 2012.
To be sure either way, if New York does make that move, don’t expect it to be for more than a year at most.
Safety
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Last year, the Giants were all set to roll the dice on the youth movement at safety, utilizing a duo that was to consist of second-round pick Landon Collins at strong safety and one of Nat Berhe, Cooper Taylor, Bennett Jackson or Mykkele Thompson at free safety.
The injury bug had other ideas, wiping out Berhe, Jackson and Thompson before they even got out of training camp. Even Taylor had a couple of run-ins with injuries and at one time was dropped from the 53-man roster.
The big question now is: Will the Giants roll the dice again on the youth, or will they bring in a veteran on the back end of his career who could potentially serve as a “big brother” to a still-young group, much in the way Deon Grant did a few years ago?
If the choice is the latter, Cincinnati’s Reggie Nelson continues to be one name that remains most intriguing. Nelson, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ first-round pick in 2007, has been with the Bengals since 2010, where he earned his first Pro Bowl berth last season.
Despite being 32 years old, he has still been a solid performer for Cincinnati of late, showing little signs of slowing down. He played full seasons in both 2014 and 2015, posting 172 tackles over that period along with 1.5 sacks, 27 pass breakups and 12 interceptions.
That’s not bad for a guy who’s “ancient” in NFL years and who could potentially bring some veteran leadership to the table.
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Slot Cornerback
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The Giants addressed one need at the cornerback position, swapping out the oft-injured Prince Amukamara with Janoris Jenkins of the Rams.
However, with Trumaine McBride and Jayron Hosley not expected back—both are unrestricted free agents—don’t be stunned if the Giants add another player at this position.
If the Giants are looking to upgrade from Trevin Wade, one name to watch for in the second wave of free agency is Casey Hayward of the Green Bay Packers. Last year, out of 20 slot cornerbacks who played in at least 60 percent of their team’s snaps in the nickel, Hayward finished 10th with a 97.9 NFL rating as a slot cornerback, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Giants should and probably will keep Wade on the roster until such time when he doesn’t show he belongs. But based on last year’s numbers, Hayward would have proved to be an upgrade production-wise over Wade.
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.
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