New York Giants' Remaining Post-Draft Priority List
Free agency and the NFL draft are both in the books, leaving the New York Giants with a clearer picture of what their 2017 roster has the potential to look like.
But there's still a lot more work to be done, such as incorporating some of the new personnel acquired in the offseason into what head coach Ben McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese started last year.
The Giants will be using the upcoming spring practices to get a better look at the talent they have. They'll also be tweaking the playbook to better optimize guys such as tight end Evan Engram. And who knows, there might even be a veteran player added on the back end of free agency at some point.
The following is a list of items that no doubt sit atop of the Giants' to-do list between now and the start of the 2017 season.
Determine the Starting Offensive Line
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If the Giants offense is to have any chance of improving last year's final rankings, the coaching staff must find the right combination up front to protect quarterback Eli Manning.
Both Reese and McAdoo have said there will be plenty of competition to look forward to, starting with the OTAs. When the dust settles, the Giants could have anywhere from two to three new starters at different positions.
The two positions that are definitely up for grabs are right guard and right tackle.
Last year, John Jerry and Marshall Newhouse were the opening day starters until Newhouse suffered a calf injury and was replaced by Bobby Hart at right tackle.
This year, the Giants re-signed Jerry, who had been an unrestricted free agent, but they lost Newhouse to the Raiders.
The Giants also added D.J. Fluker, cut by the Chargers; Adam Bisnowaty, a sixth-round draft pick they traded up to get; and a pair of undrafted free agents, Chad Wheeler of USC and Jessamen Dunker of Tennessee State.
While the battle takes place on the right side—McAdoo said this week that Fluker will compete at right guard, according to James Kratch of NJ Advance Media (h/t NJ.com)—the team has been preaching optimism for months that left tackle Ereck Flowers, who has struggled in his first two seasons as a pro, will be significantly improved in Year 3.
Regardless, McAdoo made no promises about anything when it came to the offensive line other than to let the competition play out.
"I don't have a set unit in mind," he said after the draft concluded. "I want to see how guys play, how they perform and how they work together. That is a big part of things."
Tweak the Offensive Playbook
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After gifting defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo with several key pieces—defensive end Olivier Vernon, defensive tackle Damon Harrison and cornerback Janoris Jenkins, just to name a few—this year it was the offense's turn to be given a few new toys.
Although the Giants didn't spend nearly as much on the offensive additions—such as tight end Rhett Ellison, receiver Brandon Marshall and, of course, draft picks like tight end Evan Engram and running back Wayne Gallman—the new faces have McAdoo, who will likely retain his role as the team's play-caller, excited by the endless possibilities they can draw up that weren't necessarily afforded to them last year.
McAdoo has wasted no time in getting together with the coaches on the offensive side of the ball to figure out how to incorporate all the new faces. In a radio interview with WFAN's Mike Francesca, McAdoo promised that the offense, which last year used 11-personnel more than 90 percent of the time, will be more diverse in terms of multiple looks.
While everything is still a work in progress, the Giants ultimately hope to come up with ways to gain the upper hand in creating physical mismatches. The additions of Marshall and Engram, two receiving targets who stand well over six-foot tall, are a start.
So too is the drafting of Gallman, a power back whom they'll be looking to become a downhill runner, while Ellison figures to provide the lead blocking for the running game that was noticeably absent last year.
McAdoo and the coaching staff will no doubt be running some experiments with different packages and looks during the spring and summer. It will be interesting to see what ends up making the final cut for the regular season.
Find Another Kicker
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Before the Giants ultimately ended up losing kicker Robbie Gould to free agency, they signed a young kicker by the name of Aldrick Rosas to a reserve/futures contract.
Rosas had a brief stint with the Tennessee Titans, but he has yet to kick in a regular-season NFL game. That fact hasn't soured the Giants on his big, powerful leg, but at the same time, Rosas' lack of experience kicking in big games hasn't gone unnoticed.
Reese told reporters that they're continuing to evaluate the situation at kicker.
"We have a young kid (Rosas) on the roster with a big leg that we want to take a look at and see how he looks in the spring," he said.
"There's always going to be veteran kickers out there available. We will see where that goes. There will be free agency after the draft here and we will see what's left out there after that as well."
Reese and the Giants might want to wait to see what happens in Tampa Bay, where Nick Folk and Roberto Aguayo will square off this summer.
The Giants can afford to wait on getting a kicker since it's a plug-and-play position. Whether they'll have to engineer a trade to get one—they did that a few years ago to acquire punter Brad Wing from the Steelers in return for a seventh-round draft pick—remains to be seen.
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Establish the Running Back Depth Chart
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In case you missed it, McAdoo declared in his interview with Francesa that Paul Perkins will be the starting running back this coming season.
Beyond that, however, is still to be determined. Presumably, Shane Vereen, who missed most of last year with a twice-torn triceps muscle, will have a big role in the running game, as will rookie Gallman once he's up to speed on pass protection.
What the Giants must decide is whether they need to add a veteran, such as LeGarrette Blount, to the mix or if they feel comfortable with the afore mentioned three players plus Orleans Darkwa, who also plans to compete for his slice of the pie.
If the Giants are planning to sign Blount, currently an unrestricted free agent, they better make up their mind sooner than later. Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reported that the Detroit Lions also have interest in Blount.
The Lions didn't draft a running back this year, but like the Giants, they are always looking to add depth. Whether they'd be competitive if it comes down to a bidding war with the Giants for Blount is another story--per the NFLPA salary cap report, they have $5,684,213 in cap space to the Giants' $9,483,626.
Identify the Starting Middle Linebacker
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Even though the Giants spend more time in their nickel defense than they do in their base, they still need to determine who will replace Kelvin Sheppard, last year's starting inside linebacker who was not re-signed in free agency.
Head coach Ben McAdoo told reporters during the annual league meetings that second-year man B.J. Goodson and veteran Keenan Robinson would compete for the job. Since the Giants didn't draft any linebackers, that pending competition looks like it's still going to take place.
Goodson was the only one of the draft picks last year (outside of injured safety Darian Thompson) to barely see snaps at his drafted position. Although he appeared to be decent enough against the run and in coverage, the NFL is obviously a step up in level of competition, thus making Goodson a bit of an unknown at the pro level.
Robinson, meanwhile, was one of the Giants' best cover linebackers, but is also a guy whose play against the run has been inconsistent over the course of his career. He weighs in at 238 pounds, an ideal weight for a cover guy but perhaps a tad light for a downhill type of defender.
Although the Giants will likely spend more time in sub packages than in their base, this is still a battle worth watching if for no other reason than to see how far along Goodson has come in his development.
Patricia Traina covers the New York Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced.
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