New York Giants news, 11/27 – 3 defenders to stay and 3 to hit the road in 2020

New York Giants, Alec Ogletree
Nov 24, 2019; Chicago, IL, USA; New York Giants outside linebacker Alec Ogletree (47) reacts after making an interception against the Chicago Bears during the first quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Good Morning, New York Giants Fans!

The 2020 offseason will be full of turnover for the New York Giants, again. The defense is in dire need of support at numerous positions, especially at the inside and outside linebacker positions.

Let’s take a look at three players that will stay, and three that will go:

1.) Markus Golden – STAY

The only productive pass-rusher for the Giants this season has been Markus Golden, who has logged 7.5 sacks through 12 weeks. The Giants are still in need of a premium pass-rusher, but Golden is more than capable and should be retained. He won’t be paid like one of the best in the league, but he will garner a healthy contract nonetheless. The Giants have the money to invest, and if they’re keen on pairing him with another top-end outside linebacker, retaining him should be an easy decision.

2.) Alec Ogletree – GO

Ogletree’s contract takes a significant dip in dead-cap next season ($3.5 million), making him expendable. If Big Blue keeps him on the roster, he will count a whopping $11.75 million in dead-cap, an amount they shouldn’t be willing to pay for his incapable services.

Not only has Ogletree been absent against the run for a majority of his tenure with the Giants, but his coverage skills are abysmal. The $8.25 million in cap-space the Giants save can be allocated towards a variety of different positions, which seems to be the likely scenario.

3.) Michael Thomas – STAY

Thomas, who’s a special team maestro, will be a free agent after this season. The New York Giants must make it a priority to re-sign him and retain his stellar abilities. Thomas isn’t a defensive threat by any means, but his value on special teams is worth the investment 100x over.

4.) Leonard Williams – GO

In three games with the Giants, Williams has been mostly absent. Against the Bears, he finished with one total tackle and one QB hit. Against the Jets, he logged four QB hits and three combined tackles. For the most part, Williams hasn’t earned the 3rd round value GM Dave Gettleman placed on his head when he traded for him.

The Jets were begging to get rid of him, and Gettleman gave up far too much value, dropping a fifth and third-round pick (if he re-signs before the new league year). Considering the valuable players Gettleman has hit on later in the draft; he might have missed big on this deal.

5.)  Janoris Jenkins – STAY

Jenkins is the only trustworthy cornerback on the team, and his contract is relatively friendly considering the market-value of top corners in the NFL. If the Giants were keen on getting rid of Jenkins, they would have traded him before the deadline, which indicates he will likely remain with the team for at least one more season.

The veteran corner has displayed a lack of effort at times, but can you blame him for the lack of quality the Giants have surrounded him with in recent years? Big Blue needs a top corner, and Jenkins fits the bill perfectly for one more season.

6.) Antoine Bethea – GO

Bethea was signed to supplement the free safety position with Curtis Riley, leaving in free agency. So far, I miss Riley, who was known for taking bad angles at ball-carriers. Bethea is an absolute liability in the secondary but is solid closer to the line of scrimmage in a strong safety role.

The Giants don’t have a use for him as Julian Love secured an interception in Sunday’s loss to the Bears, seeing his highest snap-count this season. The Giants seem him as a potential long-term solution at the position.

Nonetheless–

Your top news of the day:

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John Fennelly – Dave Gettleman has one more offseason to turn Giants around

John Fennelly – Lawrence Tynes is right: There’s nothing exciting about these Giants

Mike Vaccaro – Pat Shurmur can’t keep testing John’s Mara’s patience

Matt Lombardo – Was DeAndre Baker benched vs. Chicago Bears? Why Giants switched to Sam Beal at outside CB