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.
