With several positions in dire need of assistance, the New York Giants need to allocate resources to upgrade specific units. The cornerbacks, safeties, offensive line, and defensive line all need reinforcements, which will require a hefty amount of investment whether it be through free agency or the draft.
Former general manager Jerry Reese left the salary cap in shambles, as the team still owed over $9 million in dead money moves after Dave Gettleman came in and cleaned house. It’s likely that the Giants will part ways with some players to open up cap space, or at least require them to lower their cap-hits to open up a bit of wiggle room.
The New York Giants are in a bad spot:
Currently, the team has about $27 million in cap, ranking towards the bottom of the league. They need to sign a top-tier free safety, retain Landon Collins, and sign a right tackle. That’s a ton of money that needs to be appropriated efficiently, but I don’t expect the Giants to address all of these positions through FA.
Positions like right tackle and safety can be addressed with draft picks, but it’s likely the team will draft a quarterback at No. 6, this means that the players drafted after won’t represent immediate starters. If the Giants get lucky in the second round, they can draft a potential right tackle, similar to what they did with Will Hernandez. My biggest concern is that after the second-round they don’t pick again until day 3 (fourth round).
What I expect the Giants to do this offseason:
I expect the Giants to package a few picks and move up into the third round to grab a safety. They have Sam Beal waiting in the wings to join the cornerback ranks – he was picked in the in the supplemental draft in 2018 which cost the Giants their third-round pick.
Acquiring Beal allows the team to focus in on safety and right tackle. Former Carolina Panther Daryl Williams remains an option, a fourth-round pick by Gettleman himself in 2014. They can back-load his contract to keep the cap hit down in 2019. The expectation is that Eli Manning’s $20 million cap hit will disappear in 2020, and Olivier Vernon’s contract might shrink a bit.
It will be interesting to see how the Giants manage this offseason with such little room in their cap. I would expect them to continue building through youth as Gettleman has been extremely successful in the draft.