Giants should try to do better than Long, Laurinaitis

Tom Gannam/AP

James Laurinaitis (l.) and Chris Long both played under Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

A pair of Los Angeles Rams defenders — and old friends of Steve Spagnuolo — are suddenly loose on the free agent market. But no, that doesn’t mean the Giants will — or should — instantly run out and sign them.

On Friday afternoon, the Rams began their offseason shakeup by waiving veteran defensive end Chris Long and linebacker James Laurinaitis. Along with the cut of tight end Jared Cook, the moves helped free up $ 24 million in cap room for Los Angeles, which has a bevy of pending free agents to re-sign this offseason.

It also offered the Giants some early quick-fix pieces for last year’s pathetic defensive unit. Both Long, 30, and Laurinaitis, 29, are well-traveled, and both played under Giants defensive coordinator Spagnuolo when he coached the Rams from 2009-2011. So it’s certainly possible that Giants GM Jerry Reese will inquire about both players — and there exists a chance that he’ll take a good long look at Laurinaitis.

But neither guy really fits the template that Reese has traditionally pursued in free agency, and the Giants should try to do better first. Long and Laurinaitis were cut because they’re aging and overpaid, and both had seen their production fall off in recent seasons.

Laurinaitis tied a career-low with 109 tackles last season, and he’s forced just two total turnovers the past two seasons. And Long, who has four total sacks over the last two years, admitted in an Instagram post shortly after he was cut that “No excuses, the last two years have been s–t.”

Neither player is over-the-hill, but neither is an ideal signing for a rebuilding Giants team that’s missed the playoffs four years running. Reese isn’t putting the finishing touches on a Super Bowl contender, and he seems to know that. That’s why he’s spent the last two offseasons targeting ascending players with upside, almost solely pursuing players in their mid-to-late-20s in free agency. Reese has attacked values, rarely aiming for big names.

Of these big names, Laurinaitis is the only one who really offers upside to the Giants. Long seems motivated, but the Giants already have one injury-plagued enigma at defensive end in Jason Pierre-Paul.

Laurinaitis, on the other hand, could still have a few good years left, and he’s a potentially consistent presence at middle linebacker, a player who’s never missed a start in his seven pro seasons. He knows Spagnuolo well, and he’s a solid wrap-up tackler.

His downside, however, is considerable. Super Bowl 50 was a showcase for how speedy inside linebackers such as Denver’s Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan (both of whom are possible free agents) are the perfect antidote for versatile offenses. It doesn’t make sense for the Giants to bring in the lead-footed Laurinaitis without exploring speedier, more versatile options first.

Neither Laurinaitis or Long is going to have suitors this early, so the Giants can be patient. The Rams, just barely better than the Giants last season at 7-9, didn’t want these guys.

And there’s a reason why.

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