Revisiting New York Giants' Best, Worst Moves of 2017 Offseason

In just a few weeks, New York Giants fans will find out if the offseason moves made—and not made—by the front office were the right ones.

On paper, everything is looking rosy for head coach Ben McAdoo, as he prepares to lead his team into a new year in which the goal is to build on last year's 11-5 record and go deeper into the playoffs, with a Lombardi Trophy clearly the target.

So, let's revisit some of the offseason decisions made by general manager Jerry Reese in building this year's roster and try to anticipate if they were the stuff that will lead to that elusive fifth championship.

Best: Signing WR Brandon Marshall

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Quarterback Eli Manning and the passing offense seems to be at its best when a tall, physical target who can outmuscle the competition is among the receiving options.

That's precisely what the Giants hope they have added in veteran Brandon Marshall, who was most recently with the Jets.

At 6'4" tall, Marshall is not only a big target who has been hard to guard down the field in the past, he's also a physical outside receiver who is not afraid to thrown a downfield block to help open space for a teammate.

Per Pro Football Focus' player grades, Marshall's 78.9 run-blocking grade is by far the best of all the Giants receivers, both new and returning.

His production is also sure to be a hit within the offense. If he can maintain his annual receiving-yardage average (1,096.4) as a member of Big Blue (second-best behind Odell Beckham Jr.'s 1,374 per-season average), the Giants' passing game is going to be lethal this year.

Worst: Failing to Re-Sign CB Coty Sensabaugh

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

Unfortunately, the Giants didn't have the financial windfall of salary-cap space they had a year ago. As a result, while they tried to keep last year's No. 10-ranked overall defense together, there were a couple of pieces they weren't able to retain.

One of the biggest, yet most underrated, losses is cornerback Coty Sensabaugh, a player the Giants picked up during the season after the Rams inexplicably cut him.

Sensabaugh picked up enough of the Giants defense and performed well for Big Blue, recording 15 tackles in 10 games.

With Sensabaugh having signed with the Steelers, and the Giants having passed on re-signing Trevin Wade and Leo Hall, they're now left with relatively untested depth at cornerback—depth that has already been tested in the spring thanks to the hamstring injury suffered by Eli Apple.

"We can always use more," defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said of the cornerback depth during the rookie minicamp in May. "You can never have enough corners. … You get some guys out there, let them compete and see how it all unwinds."

While there is hope that some of those guys—Michael Hunter, Valentino Blake, Mykkele Thompson and Donte Deayon—can step in and play at a high enough level, the Giants are taking a bit of a risk here at this critical position.

Best: Drafting TE Evan Engram

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Cover 2, we hardly knew ye.

That's what the Giants are hoping to say this year thanks to the addition of tight end Evan Engram, their first-round draft pick.

Engram's presence immediately upgrades an underperforming tight end unit that has struggled to make an impact on the passing game over the past few years.

More importantly, his presence should discourage opposing defenses from constantly deploying Cover 2 to minimize the impact of Odell Beckham Jr. in the passing game.

If that's not enough to get Giants fans excited, consider Pro Football Focus' rather accurate summary of Engram as being a "mismatch weapon."

Jordan Plocher of PFF wrote:

"Evan Engram is one of the premier mismatch weapons in the 2016 NFL Draft, and his 2.59 yards per route run ranked first among tight ends in the class. Engram is listed as a tight end, but doesn’t have traditional in-line tight end size. He would be better suited to playing a “big slot” role in the NFL. Engram can be used to attack defenses in multiple ways, as he is larger than defensive backs and faster than linebackers. Engram can be used to exploit mismatches and get open on all three levels of a defense. In 2016, Engram caught all four of his targets that traveled over 30 yards, so he can also be a deep threat."

With Engram, Brandon Marshall, Beckham and Sterling Shepard all likely to see a lot of snaps together, opposing defenses probably won't be able to double up on any one receiver; instead they will have to pick their poison. That should give the Giants' passing game a distinct advantage.

Worst: Not Re-Signing DT Johnathan Hankins

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Much like the situation at cornerback, the Giants find themselves with a hole on their defensive line.

The only difference is that at this spot they were unable to bring back starting defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, who signed with the Indianapolis Colts in the offseason.

To be fair, the Giants did spend their second-round draft pick on a defensive tackle, Dalvin Tomlinson. They also have a pair of young veterans in Jay Bromley and Robert Thomas who are going to compete for the starting job. And they also brought on board veteran Corbin Bryant, a free agent who was signed late in the process.

Thus, the Giants' cupboard isn't exactly empty of options. The question, however, is whether they have anyone who can step up and complement nose tackle Damon Harrison.

They won't find out until the summer when the pads go on, but the fact that they felt the need to add Bryant to the mix so late in the spring could suggest they are a little squeamish about the readiness of what they have on the roster now.

Best: Drafting QB Davis Webb

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

The Giants spent a third-round draft pick on quarterback Davis Webb. For those keeping score at home, that makes him the highest-drafted quarterback in the Jerry Reese era (dating back to 2007) and the highest-drafted quarterback since Phillip Rivers was plucked in the first round before being traded for Eli Manning.

While teams would ideally like to get their third-round draft pick involved sooner rather than later, the Giants' approach toward finding Manning's heir is a smart one.

They spent a high enough pick of value on a player they believe has a strong enough arm to make all the throws. Moreover, they have created the ideal scenario for Webb to sit and learn for a year or two before any talk of him becoming the starter becomes serious.

This not only lessens the pressure on Webb, it also affords the franchise to slowly transition from the Manning era when the time comes rather than instantly plunging into uncharted waters.

Worst: Not Doing More for the Offensive Line

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

The Giants didn't have the financial windfall to stick their toe into the free-agent spending frenzy for offensive linemen. Instead they signed offensive lineman D.J. Fluker, who they're looking to play at guard, and drafted Adam Bisnowaty, who so far has worked at right tackle, in the sixth round.

While that qualifies as having done something, the Giants are still taking a bit of a risk here with the offensive line. Firstly, though, it bears mention that they are optimistic left tackle Ereck Flowers, who rededicated himself to getting better at his craft in the offseason, has done more than enough to lay down a solid foundation.

What happens if his hard work doesn't transfer to his technique, which even the coaches said they won't know about until the pads go on. What happens if Flowers suffers any kind of injury that causes him to miss time? What is the Plan B?

If Flowers should struggle, they might not have any choice but to ride out the season with him again. If he gets injured, the likely backup is Justin Pugh, currently the left guard and really the only one with the experience to kick outside to that all-important spot on the offensive line.

The Giants will be crossing their fingers, toes and eyes that Flowers' work does pay off and that he stays healthy. They are also hoping to avoid Murphy's Law in which they get hit at the position where they really didn't fortify the depth in the offseason.

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.