Category: Giants

Thoughts on Browns Acquisition of Olivier Vernon

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The Cleveland Browns and New York Giants pulled off one a rare swap of veteran starters on Friday, with edge-rusher Olivier Vernon heading to Cleveland and offensive guard Kevin Zeitler on his way to New York.

The move allows the Giants to plug one of many holes on their offensive line, while Cleveland adds a dangerous pass-rusher to line up alongside Myles Garrett.

There are a number of different angles to dissect in this trade, but first, Browns fans should familiarize themselves with Oliver Vernon. Here are all of his sacks from the 2018 season:

 

Browns Pass-Rush is Now Elite

The most obvious impact from the trade is on the Browns pass rush, which now boasts two of the game’s best at getting to the quarterback.

Using data from Sports Info Solutions over the past three years, I compared every defensive end with least 150 pass-rush snaps in a single season. Based their pressure rate (percentage of pass-rush snaps on which they generate pressure), Vernon’s 2018 season ranked in the 87th percentile, while Garrett’s ranked in the 73rd.

Not many teams can put a pair of edge-rushers on the field with that type of production, and it’s probably not too much of a leap to expect both players to improve upon those numbers in 2019.

Vernon’s production primarily came as the right defensive end (or right outside linebacker, depending how the Giants lined up). However, that’s the role Garrett occupies in Cleveland.

Assuming Vernon shifts to the left side of the defensive line, he’ll see more favorable matchups against right tackles. And when opponents leave an extra blocker on the field in the form of a tight end, where will they line him up? Do you throw an extra player at Garrett because he’s likely to be the more feared pass-rusher? Or do you give your weaker right tackle help on Vernon?

Either way, it should create more one-on-one situations for both players.

 

Browns Gain Long-Term Financial Flexibility

Vernon is more expensive than Zeitler, but since the Browns have more cap space than they can spend, that’s of little consequence. The more significant factor is the length of Vernon’s contract.

The Browns have Vernon wrapped up through the 2020 season, which likely contributed to their interest in him. By signing a free agent of Vernon’s caliber, the Browns would be forced to commit money beyond 2020, which potentially would have created an issue down the road.

Following the 2020 season, the Browns will need to pick up Myles Garrett’s fifth-year option, which will make him among the highest paid players at the position. Additionally, defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi becomes a free agent that same offseason.

With Vernon’s contract off the books in 2021, the Browns will have the flexibility to pick up Garrett’s option and re-sign Ogunjobi without worrying about having too much money wrapped up in the defensive line.

 

Why Trade Zeitler?

The Browns probably could have acquired Vernon with draft picks, so why move one of the best guards in the game? The answer might simply be about not wasting resources.

Dorsey spent the 33rd pick on Austin Corbett last year, and he barely saw the field. It’s possible Dorsey originally hoped either Corbett or Joel Bitonio would shift to left tackle, allowing their biggest investments to all play together on the offensive line, but that never happened.

So with three offensive guards on the roster who all need to see the field, it made sense to get rid of someone, rather than allow an asset to rot on the bench. And given Zeitler’s contract and his value on the trade market, he was the obvious choice to go.

Now the Browns have upgraded their pass rush while, hopefully, only suffering a minor downgrade on the offensive line.

 

How Trade Affects the Giants

Despite missing 5 games, Olivier Vernon accounted for a team-high 18.1 percent of the Giants QB pressures in 2018. From Week 6 on (when he returned from injury), he accounted for 25.4 percent.

That production is going to be extremely difficult for the Giants to replace, and it makes me wonder if GM Dave Gettleman has already decided he’s not drafting a quarterback at No. 6. Given the depth of talent at defensive end in this draft class, Gettleman can be fairly certain he’ll have the opportunity to draft a quality pass-rusher in the first round. So is that his plan for replacing Vernon?

If they do go that route, Mississippi State’s Montez Sweat and Michigan’s Rashan Gary are the most likely candidates.

New York Giants 2019 Team Needs

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The New York Giants dug themselves a hole last offseason, overspending for some free agents and passing up an opportunity to draft a franchise quarterback.

That said, the cards fell just right in 2018 and now they’re in position to addressnz some of those issues this spring.

The issue, of course, is general manager Dave Gettleman. He’s a relic of a past era of football decision-makers who actively fights back against everything we’ve learned from the influx of advanced statistics in the sport. Hopefully he stumbles into some solutions for the problems he created, but Giants fans have every right to be nervous as long as he’s at the helm.

 

Quarterback

If the Giants were coming off a season in which they made the playoffs, they could justifiably attempt to build around Eli Manning for another year or two. While he’s clearly in decline, he’s probably still capable of playing at an acceptable level with the right complementary pieces around him.

According to Sports Info Solutions, when Manning wasn’t under pressure in 2018, he averaged 8.1 yards per attempt, the 12th highest mark in the league. So he does have something left in the tank.

The problem is, the offensive line is a mess and it’s not going to be fixed in time to salvage something from Manning’s final years.

Given the Giants history and the makeup of the current front office and coaching staff, they’re not going to take Kyler Murray seriously as a candidate. General manager Dave Gettleman is simply not open-minded enough to even entertain that thought.

With Murray off the table, Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins is the obvious choice for the Giants at No. 6, with Missouri’s Drew Lock as a potential dark horse.

 

Offensive Line

In a desperate attempt to find a quick-fix for a complex problem, the Giants threw $34.8M guaranteed at left tackle Nate Solder last offseason. However, he didn’t live up to their unrealistic expectations and now the Giants are stuck with a league-average left tackle earning the biggest paycheck at his position.

Unfortunately, due to the structure of Solder’s contract, the Giants can’t cut or trade him this offseason, so that’s an issue for another day.

Will Hernandez, a 2018 second-round pick, is also locked into a starting role. He struggled as a run blocker in 2018—along with the entire Giants offensive line—but the team should still have high hopes for his future.

The rest of the offensive line spots are up for grabs, and the Giants should put forth an effort to replace all three.

Jamon Brown, who closed the season at right guard, and John Greco, who played some center and right guard, are both free agents. Neither should return. Spencer Pulley, who finished the year as the starting center, and right tackle Chad Wheeler are under contract but neither should be on the first line of the depth chart next season.

Protecting either the aging and immobile Manning or a young rookie will obviously be a priority, but the biggest issue with the Giants offensive line was actually their inability to block for Saquon Barkley.

Despite Barkley’s obvious talent, on first downs outside the red zone—a situation in which the defense typically can’t assume run or pass—the Giants ran for two or fewer yards on 50.6 percent of their rushing attempts, easily the worst rate the league according to Pro Football Reference.

If the Giants can rebuild the offensive line, not only will it benefit their future quarterback, but Barkley should also find more running room.

 

Cornerback

Janoris Jenkins’ performance took a step backwards in 2018, but remains a quality starting cornerback. The issue, however, is his contract.

Jenkins carries a $14.8M cap hit this season, according to Spotrac, and the Giants could save $7.8M by cutting or trading him. If he’s brought back this year, he’ll almost certainly be a cap casualty the following offseason when the savings would rise to $11.3M.

So whether its this year or next, the Giants will soon be in the market for a No. 1 cornerback.

B.W. Webb, who started opposite Jenkins in 2018, is set to become an unrestricted free agent. So even if the Giants bring Jenkins back, it would be smart to bring someone into Webb’s role this season who can take over for Jenkins the following year.

The Giants were one of just 12 teams that played more man coverage than zone in 2018, so that should definitely factor into their decision making process.

Re-signing Webb could also be an option for the Giants. In man coverage, he allowed a completion percentage of just 47.4 percent, according to Sports Info Solutions. He’s a journeyman with limited starting experience, so he likely won’t cost much. Re-signing Webb and drafting a prospect at the position could be the ideal plan to rebuild the secondary while also maintaining some short-term stability.

 

Safety

Starting safeties Landon Collins and Curtis Riley are both hitting the open market this offseason, creating a potential crisis in the Giants secondary.

Riley, who started at free safety, will likely be let go, and won’t be missed.

Other than a few interceptions, Riley made minimal impact in 2018. Among defensive backs with at least 40 tackles, Riley had the second worst missed tackle rate (14.6 percent), according to Sports Info Solutions.

Losing Collins would be a much more concerning issue for the Giants, but that’s unlikely to happen. The team will almost certainly attempt to re-sign him to a long-term deal and will likely use the franchise tag to bring him back for 2019 if necessary.

New York Giants offseason needs

Giants, Team Needs
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1. Middle Linebacker
The New York Giants can’t seem to find a capable mike linebacker. Chase Blackburn, Mark Herzlich, Greg Jones and Jacquian Williams have all tried and failed to fill the hole over the past two seasons. Kevin Minter and Alec Ogletree could be options in the first round. Manti Te’o is another possibility.

2. Tight End
Martellus Bennett may be re-signed, but if he’s allowed to walk the Giants have a glaring hole at tight end. Bear Pascoe is a great blocking tight end, but Eli Manning needs someone who can be a weapon in the passing game. Tom Coughlin has always preferred well-rounded tight ends, which limits his options, but Tyler Eifert might be a perfect fit in the first round.

3. Offensive Line
The Giants could get by in 2013 with the line as its currently constructed, but the could use some upgrades (especially at left guard) and some added depth. Three of their starters (Diehl, Snee and Baas) are 31 or older.

David Wilson benched after fumble

Giants, Rookie Notes
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New York Giants 1st-round pick David Wilson fumbled on his second career carry midway through the 1st quarter, and was promptly benched. The Giants handed the ball off to Wilson on two of their first five running plays, but Wilson didn’t touch the ball for the remainder of the 1st half.

Wilson struggled with ball security throughout his brief college career, so his fumble comes as no surprise. But it’s definitely a rough start to his pro career.

While the Giants clearly shied away from giving him more carries, Tom Coughlin and his staff don’t have many other options. Ahmad Bradshaw has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career, so they need Wilson to share the workload in order to keep Bradshaw fresh.

David Wilson getting 1st-team reps with Giants

Giants, Rookie Notes
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New York Giants 1st-round pick David Wilson received first-team reps at practice on Monday according to the Star Ledger. Tom Coughlin reportedly said this was a planned move for Monday’s practice, but Mike Garafolo notes the move came on the heels of a poor performance by D.J. Ware in the Giants preseason game over the weekend.

The Giants have been easing Wilson into a larger role, but this recent move could mean they’re planning to use Wilson and Ahmad Bradshaw as their two workhorse running backs.