Sitting and passing on big free agent names brings good and bad news. For the New York Giants, it has been a double-sided spear – on one side, they’re missing out on impactful options, and on the other, they’re watching the price-tag for players sky-rocket.
The record-breaking contract for Landon Collins and the interesting $7 million per year deal for right tackle Bobby Hart really hurts the chances of the Giants grabbing a good player at a lesser price. Hart’s contract balloons right tackle Daryl Williams’ worth, making him a potential $10-12 million per season player coming off a season-ending injury in 2018.
It seems as if general manager Dave Gettleman has taken a more reserved approach this spring, as they’ve already traded for top guard Kevin Zeitler and re-signed several important players. With less than $27 million in cap space, it doesn’t make sense to splash the cash when the team has a plethora of draft picks.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see if Gettleman focuses more on the trade market and prying away players that lack value on other teams to provide for the Giants. Whether it be for scheme reasons or future success, trades can be mutually beneficial – an example being trading Olivier Vernon for Zeitler.
The New York Giants are focusing on the trenches:
Gettleman has never been on to spend big money on the secondary, which is why I’m convinced he will continue focusing on the offensive line.
Gettleman loves his Hog Mollies… check out the difference in 2 years ??
2019
LT: Nate Solder
LG: Hernandez
C: Halapio
RG: Zietler
RT: Daryl Williams ?2017
LT: Flowers
LG: Pugh
C: Richburg
RG: Jerry
RT: Hart#giantschat #giants #nyg— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) March 8, 2019
The offensive line has seen major upgrades in the past two years, and it seems as if the defensive line could be next. With B.J. Hill, Dalvin Tomlinson, and RJ McIntosh still young and inexperienced, the pass-rush seems to be the weakest point on the team. Trading Vernon certainly doesn’t help with production.
Could Gettleman pass on a quarterback in the draft?
It’s possible Gettleman elects to pass on a quarterback in the 2019 NFL draft in favor of a top-tier pass-rusher that can benefit the team in the short-term. Realistically, the Giants can have a generational running back, quarterback, and defensive edge rusher all on their rookie deals, but it will cost the team if they choose to wait until 2020 for a signal caller.
This free agency will be very telling of their plans, and I don’t think the Giants are done making moves just yet. I anticipate more involvement in the second-tier free agent market, as the first was far too pricey for Big Blue to get involved.