The New York Giants are shaping their roster in the image of John Harbaugh. While the team has been active in free agency, significant vulnerabilities remain\u2014most notably in the trenches \u2014 though other areas of the roster still require attention.<\/p>\n
Following the restructuring of Brian Burns\u2019 contract, the Giants have opened up some cap space, but are not flush with cash. The team was initially hesitant to add void years to Burns\u2019 deal, but additional flexibility could still be created. By restructuring contracts for Andrew Thomas and Dexter Lawrence, New York could free up more immediate cap space if it is willing to push some financial commitments into future seasons to address current roster needs.<\/p>\n
Either way, the Giants certainly have a vision. They\u2019ve been opportunistic throughout free agency, allowing Wan\u2019Dale Robinson to walk at $19.5-million average annual value (AAV) but signing Isaiah Likely at $13.3 AAV, while also transitioning the offense to heavier 12 personnel packages. The Giants have zigged where other teams have zagged, and it coincides with the team the Giants are attempting to form.<\/p>\n
The Giants also put an emphasis on special teams by signing Jordan Stout and Jason Sanders. The \u201cflier\u201d deals on players like Mooney and Newsome are wise as well, for both players are attempting to rekindle their once-promising careers. Overall, I\u2019m pleased with the Giants\u2019 offseason, but they may not be done. Here are five more names that the Giants should look to explore.<\/p>\n
Teller worked with the current Giants\u2019 offensive line coach, Mike Bloomgren, last season. The Giants are currently in need of interior offensive line help. They retained Aaron Stinnie for depth \u2014 and I hope they bring back Greg Van Roten \u2014 but Stinnie and Evan Neal are the two guards slotted on the right side next to Jermaine Eluemunor.<\/p>\n
Joe Schoen and the Giants aren\u2019t done at guard. The 31-year-old is coming off an adequate season in which he surrendered 24 pressures and 3 sacks amid lackluster quarterback play. Teller has exclusively played right guard in every season since his rookie year in Buffalo. He would be a welcome \u2014 and physical \u2014 addition. For what it\u2019s worth, Connor Hughes of SNY posted on X that he heard the Giants and Teller were $2-million apart.<\/p>\n
I have been screaming this one for some time now. Calais Campbell is EXACTLY what the Giants need from an execution and leadership perspective. Yes, he\u2019s almost 40-years old, but the 6\u20198, 285-pound, iron-man is coming off a 33-pressure season where he recorded 24 STOPS in 524 snaps. He\u2019s still highly productive on a per-snap basis and he would be an excellent fit in BASE personnel as a 4i-shade next to Dexter Lawrence.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, Campbell is a respected veteran who has been in the league since 2008. He spent three seasons with John Harbaugh (2020-2022) in Baltimore. The Giants are a young team, and one issue that has hampered them through the previous coaching staff was leadership. Campbell, at the very least, would provide the level of professionalism that Harbaugh will instill, while also being an asset that young players can look up to \u2014 literally and figuratively.<\/p>\n
Campbell signed a one-year contract worth $5.5-million with a maximum value of $7.5-million with incentives to return to Arizona last year. The Giants should certainly replicate that contract if Campbell was interested in reuniting with Harbaugh in an attempt to quickly turn around the revered New York Giants franchise.<\/p>\n
Reader is 31 years old and is coming off two down seasons with the Detroit Lions. Still, he had over 20 pressures in each season and was a solid overall run defender, though not his dominant self. In his final season with the Cincinnati Bengals, he suffered a terrible right quad tendon tear in December of 2023 \u2014 he hasn\u2019t been the same since, but he\u2019s still a capable player.<\/p>\n
Reader is a massive 6\u20193, 335-pound man who could effectively spell Dexter Lawrence on the nose while operating as a strong-side IDL in BASE personnel, giving the Giants nearly 700 pounds between two of their three defensive linemen in TITE fronts. Reader would be an excellent \u2014 and much-needed \u2014 addition for the Giants, even if he isn\u2019t the same player that he was with the Bengals.<\/p>\n
Bring him back \u2014 it\u2019s that simple. Although Carmen Bricillo is in Tennessee now, the Giants should look to maintain the continuity of last year\u2019s offensive line if they\u2019re not looking to spend up on players like Wyatt Teller. Van Roten was more than serviceable last season, and he was a value at his price tag. He provided adequate run blocking with slightly above-average pass blocking.<\/p>\n
Yes, he\u2019s 36 years old, but his play hasn\u2019t slipped much. He is versatile enough to back up John Michael Schmitz at center, while being a competent \u2014 and cost-effective \u2014 starter. He could also operate as a high-level swing interior offensive lineman if the Giants look to go guard in the draft. He allowed just 26 pressures and three sacks last season. The Long Island kid is a value, and the Giants should look to preserve the offensive line from last year and reward the man with a contract.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s reunion city in this post! Ward spent 2022-2023 with the New York Giants and provided adequate play, amassing 44 pressures over two seasons. The 6\u20195, 287-pound EDGE rusher was versatile across the New York Giants line, and that has been consistent with his skill set throughout his career. The 31-year-old did not slow down last season; he was a crucial part of Dennard Wilson\u2019s defense, feasting opposite Jeffrey Simmons, and earning 47 pressures with 5.5 sacks.<\/p>\n
New York is loaded on the EDGE, and they\u2019re more in need of bigger defensive tackles. This addition would not just be for familiarity, but would add depth in the EDGE room that would consist of Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Chauncey Golston. The rotation would keep the Giants fresh on defense, and certain personnel packages could alternate between Golston and Ward next to Lawrence on the interior, with Burns and Thibodeaux on the edge. Carter, then, could be used on the second level. Ward, and his production from last year, may price the Giants out, but he\u2019s still unsigned this far into free agency \u2014 maybe it\u2019s time to explore it if the Giants haven\u2019t yet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The New York Giants are shaping their roster in the image of John Harbaugh. While the team has…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":815960,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[7,7558,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-815959","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-new-york-giants-free-agency","10":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116241141866748493","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/815959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=815959"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/815959\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/815960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=815959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=815959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=815959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}