The New York Giants are heading into a tumultuous period of training camp with cuts around the corner. With a bevy of undrafted free agents and late-round draft picks on the roster, there will be some surprise cuts, but it is the veterans where things get a bit tricky.
Some leftover pieces from years past could be on the chopping block, as the Giants continue through a rebuild that requires a youth foundation and more opportunities for the youngsters. However, it is important to have veterans on the roster to hold down the fort and provide experience.
When the Giants drafted RJ McIntosh in 2018, most that he would have some sort of impact. He’s only been able to appear in 18 games after missing significant time with a thyroid issue. Last year for the Giants, in 114 defensive snaps, McIntosh recorded 2.0 sacks, 13 combined tackles, and two quarterback hits. He simply hasn’t been able to extract the potential most thought he had, and he could be a surprise cut for the Giants, who could look to bring in new players who can contribute immediately.
In addition, the Giants have multiple interior defensive linemen, making him expendable if they wish to allocate another roster spot to the defensive backs.
Golden Tate is a player who actually holds decent value for the New York Giants. As an 11 year veteran with 11 playoff games of experience, Tate is a security blanket for Daniel Jones in the slot and can play on the boundary as well. Last year, he had a career-low 57.6 completion rate (minus his rookie season) with six touchdowns and 676 total receiving yards.
Tate’s contract is where things get tricky, as the Giants owe him $10.35 million in salary this year. After the 2020 season, they have an out that would count $4.7 million in dead cap compared to $7.5 this year. However, they have a ton of young wide receivers looking to gain a hold on an active roster spot. With players like CJ Board, Austin Mack, and David Sills making waves during camp, saving about $4 million by cutting Tate makes logical sense.
In fact, they could pay off the rest of his contract now and walk into 2021 without any dead cap allocations. This would further open up their mobility in free agency next year when they feel more competitive.
Spencer Pulley is another player who could be on the cutting board with the regular season just two weeks away. Nick Gates has excelled at the center position and showed his command getting everybody lined up correctly during Friday’s scrimmage.
Despite never playing a live rep at center, he has taken tons of reps this off-season to gain essential experience that will hopefully translate to the regular season. Having a back up available makes sense, but Pulley is average at best, making him a poor option if Gates struggles or picks up an injury. Releasing him and signing a free agent with more experience might be the better move. Players like Justin Britt remain un-signed on the market and could provide immediate value and a great insurance policy if Gates struggles early on.
This post was published on 2020-08-31 11:00
