Give Dave Gettleman a break; the New York Giants are far better off:
Free agency isn’t the be-all of any NFL team, as finding the right players to fill specific roles is challenging to do. Often, free agents will never be as efficient as home-grown players coming out of the NFL Draft, why? Because grooming a player to fit a scheme and building around them is a much more efficient process than trying to force a veteran to adapt to a new system and coaching style. For the New York Giants, general manager Dave Gettleman has been fantastic in the NFL Draft and average in free agency. This latest round of free agents includes Antoine Bethea, Markus Golden, Golden Tate, and Mike Remmers.
Bethea has been a tackling machine, but a liability in coverage, Golden has been solid for Big blue in regards to rushing the passer, Tate has been a menace on third-downs and Remmers a liability at right tackle. Overall, he hit on about 50% of his free-agent signings this past offseason, and in the second year of a rebuild, their performances are irrelevant anyway. Signing them is more of an audition for a potential extension, and we can conclude that Tate and Golden could spend more time with the Giants moving forward.
Gettleman’s bread and butter don’t lie on his 2018 signing, though, as his draft selections have been stellar over two seasons.
Naming the potentially significant draft picks for the New York Giants (2018-19):
- Daniel Jones
- Saquon Barkley
- Dexter Lawrence
- Will Hernandez
- Ryan Connelly
- B.J. Hill
- Darius Slayton
This is essentially an entire draft class of “hits,” and the Giants are still working with DeAndre Baker, Lorenzo Carter, Sam Beal, and more to reach their potential.
However, the reason we should remain confident in Gettleman is Daniel Jones, who has shown he can be the future at quarterback for the Giants. Having logged four touchdowns in three of his first eight games, all without his top offensive weapons weekly, is impressive.
Jones is proving Gettleman’s worth day-in and day-out, especially after negativity toward the draft-pick immediately following the selection. Also, factor in a slew of draft picks in 2020 and nearly $80 million in cap-space after cuts; the Giants could be looking at an entirely different team come next season.
My message to all worried fans is: Relax, it’s the second year of a rebuild, and we have a top-3 running back in the NFL and the future at quarterback in Jones. Add in Dexter Lawrence and the other young building block pieces littered across the team, and the foundation is being built.