The New York Giants have had an eventful offseason and have improved in some areas while taking a hit in others, but one of their more controversial moves remains the franchise tagging of Leonard Williams.
Of course, the controversy didn’t just start with Williams getting the tag. The trade to bring Williams to the Giants was controversial in and of itself, with many questioning after the season whether or not the Giants had gotten much out of it given Williams’ slow start with the team.
Just as controversial, though, is the decision to keep paying Williams big money for a player who hasn’t performed yet, under the franchise tag. According to Bleacher Report, it’s the biggest regret the Giants will have from this offseason.
Let’s be honest. The New York Giants may regret trading for defensive lineman Leonard Williams more than they regret hanging onto him. They gave the crosstown Jets a third-round pick and a conditional fourth-rounder to land Williams and got little in return.
In eight games, Williams had just 13 solo tackles and half a sack. Yet general manager Dave Gettleman has defended the trade.
Williams will, of course, have higher expectations in 2020 while playing under a new and hopefully better defensive coordinator, with a full offseason to get used to being on the team. But as a player on the Jets, Williams never quite turned the corner either and became the player the Jets were looking for, not repeating his 7 sack sophomore performance in either of the past two years before his trade.
Leonard Williams ranked 11th in total pressures among interior defensive lineman in 2019. Only Williams and two others in the top 20 had fewer than 4 sacks last season.
Leonard Williams led the NFL with 19 QB hits, with the 2nd ranked player recording 14.
— PFF NY Giants (@PFF_Giants) May 9, 2020
Things aren’t looking all bad for the Giants and Williams, however. If Williams has one saving grace, it’s that he led the league in quarterback hits last season, indicating some potential to step up and get more actual sacks and tackles for a loss in 2020.
The front office made their choice and decided to keep Williams for 2020 despite the 2019 performances – whether or not that choice will pan out remains one of the big questions for the year and the coming season.