Giants GM Joe Schoen’s rebuild strategy is already lightyears ahead of the previous regime

new york giants, joe schoen

The New York Giants haven’t made excessive moves this off-season, refraining from spending big money and pushing salary hits down the road. Former general manager Dave Gettleman was always looking to free agency to solve his mishaps in the NFL draft.

A graveyard of mid-round selections left the Giants desperate for more talent, constantly unloading massive contracts that failed to supplement foundational imbalance.

However, new general manager Joe Schoen is taking a far more conservative approach while spending money at the right positions to help improve the roster as a whole. To start his tenure in East Rutherford, Schoen indicated the desperate need to find more salary space and build a competent offensive line that will allow Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley to put their best foot forward.

“First off, we have to get underneath [the cap], we have to make some tough decisions here in the near future just to get in a place where we can sign draft picks and be below the cap,” Schoen said, via the New York Post. “There’s a fine line, because you can’t purge.”

The Giants have executed several key moves to help open up salary space, including restructuring the contracts of both Sterling Shepard and Blake Martinez. Incredibly, Schoen managed to retain both players while lowering their cap hits to a reasonable number, allowing the Giants to spend a bit of money this week.

It is quite clear that management is keying in on developing the OL, already making several signings to bolster positions of need.

“If you want to see Daniel Jones put his best foot forward, he’s got to be on his feet. If you want to see what Saquon can do, it would be nice if we could block

Big signings for the Giants so far:

OL: Mark Glowinski – 3-years, $20M, $11.4M guaranteed

OL: Jon Feliciano

QB: Tyrod Taylor – 3-year, $17M, $8.5M guaranteed (heavily incentive-based)

OL: Matt Gono

After Gettleman refused to spend any draft capital or money last season on OL talent, indicating that the media was overblowing their lack of depth and starting skill, it ultimately got him fired. Featuring one of the worst lines in football for two consecutive seasons was the nail in the coffin for good ole Dave.

Unfortunately for Schoen, he was left to pick up the pieces. The former Bills assistant GM’s strategy seems to be far more proficient and modernized than the previous regime, focusing on contracts that will benefit the Giants in the long term.

The two biggest deals he’s offered have been for Mark Glowinski, former Indianapolis Colts lineman, and backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Both contracts have outs after the second season with minimal dead money. The Giants would have to eat just $1.8 million in salary if they cut Glowinski after the 2022 season. Taylor’s deal is essentially a two-year, $11 million contract.

The remainder of the small deals Schoen has executed are so minuscule that they won’t impact future seasons. Looking at 2023, the Giants are in an extremely healthy spot with an estimated $85.4 million before their draft picks.

If Schoen is looking for more money to spend, he can easily release Leonard Williams, Kenny Golladay, and Logan Ryan, saving about $38.4 million in additional funds, giving them over $100 million to spend and replace players.

At face value, Schoen seems to be taking a far more conservative approach in his first year as a general manager, signing players who can contribute immediately at a cost-efficient price. Some may argue that landing James Daniels, former offensive lineman for the Chicago Bears, would have been a more proficient move over Glowinski. However, the former Colt is a prevalent run blocker and showed fantastic capabilities in pass protection during the second half of the 2021 season.

Wednesday should offer another busy day for the Giants, especially with James Bradberry on the fence as a potential trade or cut candidate.