The New York Giants have needs across the roster, but one of their priorities should be addressing the pass-rush position. With Kayvon Thibodeaux going into his third season and Azeez Ojulari proving to be injury-prone, the Giants could use free-agency reinforcements, and there are several options that could be a perfect fit.
Of course, landing high-upside players is always expensive, but the Giants desperately need support alongside Thibodeaux, taking some of the pressure off of him to be their primary producer.
Three Pass Rushers the Giants Should Consider in Free Agency:
1.) Bryce Huff
The Jets seem likely to let young pass rusher Bryce Huff leave in free agency. Huff is coming off a tremendous season with the Jets at just 25 years old.
The former undrafted free agent out of Memphis recorded 10 sacks and 67 total pressures this past season over 481 snaps. Many have him coined as a situational pass rusher, primarily due to his lackluster run defense. However, the Giants can continue developing Huff in that regard, hoping he takes his game to another level and combines his pass-rush production with good tackling metrics.
Huff’s price tag on the market will likely be expensive, so unless the Giants are willing to spend a high draft pick on an edge rusher, they may have no choice but to allocate a bit of money at outside linebacker.
2.) Danielle Hunter
One of the more expensive options on the market is Danielle Hunter, coming off one of his best seasons at 29 years old. Not only is Hunter a solid run defender, but he also produced 18 sacks and 80 total pressures with the Minnesota Vikings last season.
A team with more money to spend will likely scoop up Hunter and feature him off the edge since the Giants aren’t exactly in a place to spend on an elite player and fail to address other positions of need, like the offensive line.
However, Hunter worked closely with Andre Patterson, the Giants’ defensive line coach, during his time in Minnesota. The connection there is palpable, and Hunter would undoubtedly bring an elite presence to the defensive front, taking all the pressure off Thibodeaux to be the primary rusher.
3.) Jadeveon Clowney
A more cost-effective option is Jadeveon Clowney, who’s coming off a solid season with the Baltimore Ravens. Clowney has bounced around teams over the past few years, signing a one-year contract, but he posted 78 pressures and 11 sacks with a solid run defense grade last season.
At 31 years old, the former first overall pick back in 2014 is more than capable of supporting the Giants on a short-term deal, but he may be looking to join a championship-caliber operation, and the Giants certainly aren’t that at the moment.
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Financial Strategy and Future Planning
The Giants currently have $19.4 million in available salary space, and after paying their 2024 draft picks, that number will likely drop to around $10 million. They can open up $25 million by restructuring the contracts of Andrew Thomas and Dexter Lawrence, but it still may not be enough to support the roster and all their needs.
However, if the Giants managed to draft a quarterback in the first round and write the script for Daniel Jones’s departure after 2024, they will have a substantial amount of salary space next off-season, so they can always structure contracts to hit in 2025 when they have the available cap space to work with.