Grading New York Giants' Free-Agency Plan so Far

Compared to last offseason when the New York Giants' free-agent moves had the impact of a cannonball in a swimming pool, this year's moves barely created a ripple on the waters.

They can thank a lack of salary-cap space, estimated to be around $33 million at the start of free agency, for that being the case.

Limited funds and the use of the franchise tag on defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul left the Giants with little choice but to be extremely judicious in their free-agent spending this year.

Whereas last year they could afford to shop the premium aisle for talent, this year they could barely afford membership into the warehouse to select pieces to improve the league's 25th-ranked offense (330.7 yards/game) while at the same time ensuring their 10th ranked defense (339.7 yards/game) remained as intact as possible.

General manager Jerry Reese and company, as they always do, not only sized up the market, but also took into consideration the strengths of this year's draft class in deciding how to spend resources. Still, that doesn't mean that every need is going to be filled nor does adding veteran free agents guarantee a championship.

Let's look at what the Giants have done and break down how it all fits.

Tagging DE Jason Pierre-Paul

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

On the surface, the decision by the Giants to slap the non-exclusive franchise tag on defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has been a back-breaker in free agency because it essentially siphoned almost half of the team's available salary-cap space at the start of free agency.

In hindsight, it was a necessary move. First, the Giants knew they were going to need help in multiple areas—offensive line, receiver, running back.

They also likely had an inkling that the market was going to be astronomical for some of those positions, which turned out to be true at offensive line, and probably figured that maybe except for offensive line, they might be able to fill some of those needs via the upcoming draft.

Second and more importantly, two-way defensive ends who can rush the passer and stop the run don't grow on trees. Had they not tagged Pierre-Paul, they almost certainly would have lost him to a team with deeper pockets—Jacksonville and old friend Tom Coughlin come to mind.

Some might argue that Pierre-Paul only recorded his sacks against lesser teams, but there are two thoughts on that.

First, a win is a win—when playoff seeds are handed out, no one takes into consideration who played against strong teams and who played against weak teams.

Second, Pierre-Paul was consistent with doing little things that helped open the door for others to make plays. Per Pro Football Focus, Pierre-Paul recorded 54 total pressures (sacks, hits and pressures), fifth most among 4-3 defensive ends who played in at least 75 percent of their team's pass-rush snaps.

When it came to playing the run, Pierre-Paul recorded 19 stops among the same sample group but tied with the Jets' Sheldon Richardson for fewest missed tackles (two).

If one thinks back to the 2007 and 2011 Super Bowl championship defenses, they both had one thing in common: a three-headed monster at defensive end. The Giants have two proven prongs in Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon.

To have not protected themselves against losing Pierre-Paul would have created a hole the size of the Grand Canyon in the defense that wouldn't have been easy to fill.

Grade: A

Signing WR Brandon Marshall

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

When it came to the passing game last season, it became clear that the Giants were missing a reliable big receiving threat who could also outmuscle some of the smaller defensive backs who were winning their battles against them in the passing game.

Using Pro Football Focus's analytics, not a single Giants receiver earned a positive grade as a blocker, that being an underrated yet key part of a receiver's job description.

Because of their struggles to block, particularly on the outside, often runs that did make it to the outside or second level didn't generate as much as they could have. 

Marshall, who last year played through a knee injury, was solid in that regard, earning a 1.8 blocking grade.

As for the receiving aspect of it, other than Odell Beckham Jr., who finished with a 105.3 NFL rating, not one other Giants receiver with at least 20 pass targets came close to cracking 100.0 (Sterling Shepard was the closest at 88.0).

Considering the Giants were able to sign Marshall for a "bargain" rate of $4.486 million for 2017, they stand to gain more than they lose with this transaction. 

If Marshall can be a positive, calming influence in the locker room on a receiver group that last year created an unwanted distraction when word got out about their ill-advised trip to party in Miami in the days leading up to the playoffs, then even better.

Grade: A

Signing TE/FB Rhett Ellison

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Last year, the Giants lost FB/TE Will Johnson (since released following the Ellison signing) to a season-ending neck/shoulder injury.

Their only other fullback on the roster, Nikita Whitlock (not tendered as an exclusive-rights free agent) also didn't make it out of camp thanks to a foot injury.

Now factor in the inconsistent blocking by the tight ends and the struggles of the offense line, as well as the tip-toeing that the running backs did at times. Is it any wonder why the Giants rushing offense finished 29th (88.2 yards/game) in the league, falling from 18th (100.6 yards/game) in 2015?

Head coach Ben McAdoo, at this year's NFL combine, explained that the Giants had to abandon some of what they had planned for the running game thanks to the absence of a lead blocker:

"

Going into the season, we had two players (in Will Johnson and Nikita Whitlock) that we felt pretty good about playing fullback for us, and neither of them stayed healthy, and that was a part of it. So, we had to go in another direction and we used what we had.

"

Rhett Ellison, previously with Minnesota, should be able to help in that regard, but where this transaction becomes a bit of a head-scratcher is with the money involved.  

Ellison signed a 4-year, $18 million deal with $8 million guaranteed, his 2017 cap hit being $2.25 million for 2017. 

If the plan is for him to primarily be a blocker, one can't help but wonder if they might have been able to find someone cheaper and instead devoted some of that cap money toward another offensive lineman.

On the flipside, of course, signing Ellison to compete as the blocking tight end with Jerell Adams, drafted last year, means that if the Giants do draft a tight end this year, the pressure is off to get a guy who can block as well as he can catch.

Grade: C-

Signing OL D.J. Fluker

Tim Warner/Getty Images

The Giants have shown that they're not afraid to take a flier on talent discarded by another team.

In 1999, they acquired quarterback Kerry Collins, the Carolina Panthers' first-round pick in 1995 who had fallen on some hard times professionally and personally. He would go on to lead the Giants to Super Bowl XXXV, where they lost to the Baltimore Ravens.

Fast forward to 2017 and the Giants are at it again. This time, they're taking a flier on another first-round draft pick, that being offensive lineman D.J. Fluker, drafted 11th overall by the Chargers in 2013.

Fluker, who struggled to find a niche on the Chargers offensive line, was cut last week. He signed with the Giants over the weekend to presumably be in the mix at right guard where he'll get a chance to redeem himself.

In an interview Wednesday with SiriusXM NFL Radio co-hosts Brad Hopkins and Bill Lekas (h/t Inside Football), Fluker confirmed that the Giants mentioned him playing right guard during their discussions and called the chance presented to him by the team "a great opportunity for me to prove myself."

He added of this opportunity: "I think that's what I need. It gives me every opportunity. I'm very blessed and thankful for it."

Fluker also mentioned that he wanted to "be a part of a team that actually wants to work, that actually wants to be good and win games" because "I work my tail off."

That's all well and good, but as a certain former head coach used to say: "Talk is cheap."

Still, if Fluker delivers on his promise and helps to stabilize an offensive line that last year was ranked 30th in the league in rushing (3.5 yards/carry), the Giants will be much better off than a year ago while having upgraded their line at a "bargain" rate that is worth $3 million, per Kimberley Martin of Newsday.

Grade: B

Keeping RB Shane Vereen

Al Bello/Getty Images

At the start of the offseason, many thought that running back Shane Vereen—who was due to count for $4.916 million against the 2017 salary cap, per Over The Cap—might be in jeopardy of having to take a pay cut on his $3,150 million base salary.

The logic made sense. Vereen, 27 years old, was coming off a torn triceps injury that cut short his 2016 season. He injured the muscle twice, the most recent one occurring in Week 15 of the 2016 season, the timing putting his physical status in question.

The Giants, however, had other ideas, not only choosing to keep Vereen on the roster, but to also pay out a $500,000 roster bonus that was due March 13, per a report by NFL Network's Kim Jones.

From a statistical perspective, the move to keep Vereen makes sense, even if the decision to not redo his base salary doesn't.

Per Inside Football, Vereen's absence was really missed on third down, where they converted 31.2 percent of their third-down attempts without him versus the 47.1 percent with him in the lineup.

Still, there is the matter of the money, a factor that will really be magnified if the Giants draft a power back to complement Paul Perkins in the running game.

Since joining the Giants in 2015, Vereen hasn't participated in more than 40 percent of the offense's snaps. That apparently doesn't matter to the Giants, who were ranked 30th (34.44 percent) in third-down conversions, per TeamRankings.com.

It probably should, though, as with Vereen in the lineup the year before, the Giants might have ranked 20th in the league, but their conversion percentage, 37.79 percent, wasn't that much better than what they posted in 2016.

Grade: C+

Re-Signing OL John Jerry

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Giants are reportedly bringing back offensive lineman John Jerry, who started at right guard the last three seasons for them. Per NFL Network's Ian Rappaport, Jerry's deal is three years, $10 million with $4.25 million guaranteed.

Money aside—Jerry's reported deal averages out to $3.3 million, which when compared to some of the other outlandish deals offensive linemen around the league have received, makes him a bargain signing if one considers that the 30-year-old has three years in the Giants offense.

As far as where Jerry fits in on the 2017 offensive line, he's probably not a lock to be a starter. Jerry, D.J. Fluker and Bobby Hart all figure to compete for the two jobs on the right side of the offensive line.

Should Jerry not be one of the two winners, his value as a backup guard and tackle, plus his leadership and knowledge of the offense, make him a fundamentally sound signing given the Giants' tight cap-space situation.

Grade: B-

Unless otherwise noted, all advanced analytics are from Pro Football Focus and salary-cap figures from Spotrac.

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