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Giants Mailbag: Free agency not over and here's what's next
- Updated: March 17, 2016
Jim O’Connor/USA Today SportsThe Giants already added some pieces, but Jerry Reese can still do more.
It’s never really enough, is it? The Giants go on an unprecedented spending spree, add four of the best free agents on the market, toss out $ 200 million in contracts, and they still have $ 24 million in cap space to spend, and still there are people who criticize Jerry Reese for what he just did?
Granted, there are only a scant few. Most people around the NFL are applauding the Giants for their quick rebuilding, for spending in the right places and on the right players. Sure, they overspent. That’s what teams do in free agency. And of course they’re just making up for years of bad drafts. But the general consensus — and this is what really matters to most people — seems to be that the Giants are better now than they were last season and have instantly made themselves a factor in the NFC East.
But you still want more, and I get it, even when sanity prevails and most people understand that the Giants did about as well as they could during the initial frenzy, that free agency is far from over, and that a lot can happen between now and the start of training camp. And I know you still have plenty of questions, too.
So I’ll try to answer a few:
What positions do the Giants still need to target in FA and what positions in the draft? — @shppirate12
See? You want more. … Actually, they really do still need a lot of help. They’re not as desperate at some of these other positions as they were for help in the pass rush and at corner, but in no particular order they still need at least one offensive lineman (and maybe two), a receiver, a safety and a kicker (though presumably at some point they’ll re-sign Josh Brown). They could use a third corner and probably another defensive end. And unless you believe Keenan Robinson will defy the odds and stay healthy, they need another middle linebacker, too.
Now, at most of these spots they have someone there already — just not someone proven or someone that they’re willing to completely trust. Probably more like either someone they can just get by with, or a young player they think has untapped potential. So there’s no guarantee they’ll fill all these spots. They clearly are making moves on offensive linemen, though, and I think a receiver at some point is a lock. A kicker is probably pretty important too.
Once the draft comes around, at this moment I’d be blown away if they didn’t take a defensive player, and I’d still zero in my thoughts on a defensive end. The draft is top-heavy with those and the Giants need to re-stock with young, talented pass rushers. Remember, Jason Pierre-Paul is only signed for one year.
Jeff Zelevansky/Getty ImagesJason Pierre-Paul
Does the Giants’ FA spending spree on the defensive line lessen the likelihood they go DL in the first round? — @ronmarz
Actually, no, as I was just saying. First of all, remember the Giants always operate under the premise of “You can never have enough pass rushers.” Also, remember how many used to rotate on Steve Spagnuolo’s defensive line when he was here the first time, in 2007-08. Right now, the Giants have Olivier Vernon and Jason Pierre-Paul, they have high hopes for Owa Odighizuwa, and they have the underrated Kerry Wynn who could fit into the old Dave Tollefson, handful-of-snaps role.
But JPP is still an unknown, at least in terms of whether he can ever be a dominant player again, and Odighizuwa is a complete unknown after an injury-ruined rookie year. So if they can get a good pass rusher with the 10th overall pick, they’ll be in much better shape to run Spags’ defense.
Also, keep this in mind: JPP is at least a little bit of a longshot to return in 2017. Either he turns out to be a bust and/or no longer capable of dominating and the Giants let him go, or he proves himself and ends up as one of the top pass rushers on the market and gets himself a Vernon-like deal that might be hard for the Giants to match. Yeah, they could franchise him, but that’s expensive too.
So even with all they did — signing JPP, Vernon and defensive tackle Damon Harrison — drafting a defensive lineman at 10 still makes some short-term and long-term sense.
Considering JPP’s comments about “unfinished business,” any chance he gives the Giants a discount in 2017 if he plays well? — @johnc521
Ha! No. No chance. “Hometown discounts” are a myth, for the most part, and no good agent would allow his client to leave serious money on the table someplace else. Would they take a little less elsewhere to stay where they’re happy or can get more playing time or whatever? Sure. But the key word is “a little.”
If JPP has a big year and proves once again he’s a dominant pass rusher and hits the free market at 28 years old, you can bet that he and his people will look for top dollar considering he’s now missed two straight chances to really cash in. Remember, he only got a fraction of the money he was due as a “franchise player” last season. Yes, he was lucky to get that much, but it’s still lost money to him. Then, in an offseason where he once had to figure he would’ve been in line for a $ 100 million deal (Hey, Olivier Vernon got $ 85 million with a lesser resume), he had to settle for one year and one-tenth of that.
So if he’s free, he’ll be trying to make up for lost time. He’ll be looking to top Vernon’s numbers (again, assuming he proves he’s worth it), and while he might have a little wiggle room in his asking price for the Giants out of loyalty, believe me, the “discount” won’t be much.
Christian Petersen/Getty ImagesRussell Okung
Is Okung really worth the 10-12 million he’s asking for? I don’t see Giants offering him that much — @IvanTenorio96
Well, first, I don’t know if that’s what tackle Russell Okung is asking per year, though I was told whatever he wanted was more than the Giants were willing to pay for a player coming off shoulder surgery who won’t be cleared for football activities until June. But second, when it comes to free agency here’s my advice: Don’t pay any attention to the money.
Really, it’s irrelevant. Players on the market get overpaid, because the market is about timing and the best AVAILABLE players, not necessarily the best ones. If there were five teams desperate for offensive line help and Okung was the best guy on the market he might be worth $ 15 million per year — which seems ridiculous given his circumstances, but welcome to the free market.
Also, remember that the devil is in the details of these contracts. He might get something that works out annually to $ 10-12 million per year, but then turns out to be a face-saver that really is a short-term, front-loaded contract. Who knows? But “worth” is all relative and doesn’t really mean much in the NFL.
Is it wise 4 the Giants 2 see how their young safeties come back rather than overpay 4 an older mediocre safety? — @mikeseber
Keeping in mind what I just said above about overpaying players, the truth is that it’s risky. The Giants do have high hopes for Nat Berhe and Bennett Jackson, who might have ended up as their starting safety last season if he hadn’t gotten hurt. But he’s missed two straight seasons with injuries and Berhe missed all of last year after not having much of an impact as a rookie. They have promise and potential, but it’s unproven and untapped.
Would they be better with a veteran playing next to Landon Collins? I think so. And I think they’re likely to add a veteran at some point — think a Deon Grant-type player who can guide Berhe or Jackson along, take some snaps, play as a third safety and be a leader in the locker room. I doubt they’ll overpay at that position, but I’d be very surprised if they don’t address it at all.
Eric Hartline/USA Today SportsVictor Cruz
I know they have a new S&C coach, but how is their plan changing to improve durability/reduce injury. Rehab? — @EricRobertson
There’s no real answer to this question because we haven’t been handed a detailed plan, but I took this question to give me a soapbox to say this: The Giants have been the most injured team in the NFL over the last 3-5 years (and probably longer, depending on how you measure it), and as much as everyone wants to blame the strength & conditioning coach and/or Ronnie Barnes and the medical staff, the truth is there’s no definitive cause for all these injuries, no common thread, no reason to blame any of the coaches or doctors or trainers, and it’s possible there’s no one thing that caused the Giants’ injury issues.
The people who criticize the Giants for having an antiquated S&C program haven’t paid attention to how much they’ve done in recent years, the technology they added, the way Tom Coughlin embraced new techniques and scheduling plans, the amount of different things they’ve tried. Are there better approaches out there? Yeah, maybe. But it’s not like they stuck to a 1970s weight program and did nothing. They kept up with progress.
And by the way, if you want to blame trainers and coaches, which ones? Take Victor Cruz. Are the Giants’ trainers at fault for his knee and calf injuries, or was it his personal trainer? And then which of his personal trainers would you blame? See, it’s complicated.
And blaming the medical trainers and doctors has always seemed ridiculous. If you have a cold, do you blame your doctor for that? They’re there for treating injuries, not preventing them. And speaking of those injuries, there has never been a straight line between all of them to trace a cause — a torn pec isn’t the same as a broken rib, a torn knee ligament, a hamstring pull, a concussion, a broken leg, or a hand destroyed in a fireworks accident. And the Giants have had lots of all of them.
I’ve always felt that one big issue is the Giants took chances on players with injury histories. Also, starting back in 2012 when they tried to keep the band together for one last run, they had an older core. But some of those players stayed healthy. Some didn’t. There was no common theme why.
So will the new S&C program prevent injuries? Who knows? It’s worth a try. But it’s also worth considering that the Giants’ issues have been a product of many factors, including a little bit of bad luck.
Whew. I feel better now. Let’s move on.
Do you get a sense that linebacker will be a round 1-3 priority? — @alecarons
Is it ever? Honestly, no, I don’t sense that. I sense that defense will be a priority. I sense pass rush will be a priority. I sense they’re open to the possibility that there are good linebackers who could be available. But I’d still bet more heavily on a defensive lineman or maybe a cornerback.
That said, it is still more than a month before the draft. Pro Days have just started, scouting reports are still being compiled and free agency still isn’t over. Anyone who tells you they know what the Giants are going to do with any degree of certainty at all? They’re lying, or they’re fooling themselves. Nobody knows anything this far in advance of the draft.
What are the chances that rueben randle comes back to giants? With all the top wrs gone already where do they go — @NYKRENEGADE
It’s a little odd. Randle, who had 57 catches for 797 yards and eight touchdowns last season and is still only 24 years old, so in many ways he’s one of the most attractive receivers out there, especially considering how thin the market is. But I still don’t see much of a chance that the Giants will bring him back. They were extremely frustrated with him last year, according to sources, for poor route running and poor efforts that led directly to three Eli Manning interceptions and they believe indirectly led to more.
I think they’re a little stuck at the moment. Every attractive option is off the market. Left are guys like Brandon LaFell, who had a terrific 2014 (74-953-7) but that season stands out as an anomaly in his career, or Anquan Boldin, who will turn 36 in October.
They may still sign a veteran, but I’m starting to think the Giants’ No. 2 receiver will end up being someone they take in the draft (and almost certainly not in Round 1.
Should we be concerned about injury history w/Keenan & Okung? Seemd like #NYG wanted to avoid injured players — @elo_bajo
Well, I wouldn’t be concerned about Russell Okung until the Giants sign him, if they do. As for linebacker Keenan Robinson, sure. In his four NFL seasons he’s played in 36 games and missed 28 games. The odds are pretty good that he won’t play 16 games, so if Robinson is the Giants’ only plan at middle linebacker, then it’s a huge concern. They’ll really need a contingency plan.
It’s early in free agency, though, so don’t be surprised if they sign another linebacker or maybe even draft one earlier than usual. They obviously know Robinson’s history. That’s a big reason why he only got a one-year, $ 3.5 million deal.
Do you think the giants need a tight end and a running back? — @Nuggie22
Definitely not a running back. Maybe a blocking tight end, but that’s not something I’d spend money on. I know Larry Donnell’s health is a concern, but he and Will Tye combined for 71 catches, 687 yards and five touchdowns last season. That’s not great production, but it’s not horrible for a tight end either. So they can get by at that position, especially since it doesn’t appear to be a real focal point of Ben McAdoo’s offense. They do need a better blocker, though, someone to replace Daniel Fells and help them along the line.
At running back they already have four guys who fill pretty much every role. No, none of them are Adrian Peterson, but the Giants have more than enough talent there if they can bolster the offensive line in front of them. That’s really the more important key.
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