The New York Giants signed defensive tackle Sam Roberts to a one-year contract Monday. Roberts has appeared in 20 games over four seasons with the New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons.
That move didn’t exactly move the needle, but, remarkably, it represented the Giants’ first addition of an external free agent to the trenches. Roberts, who has 26 career tackles, is the only defensive tackle signing by the Giants in free agency. They’ve been busier on the offensive line, although they haven’t added any new faces. They re-signed right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor to a three-year, $39 million contract in one of their biggest moves of free agency before re-signing backups Aaron Stinnie, Evan Neal and Josh Ezeudu.
It’s a surprising approach considering new coach John Harbaugh’s pledge to build a tough and physical team. That identity starts at the line of scrimmage, so the expectation was the Giants would prioritize spending on linemen in Harbaugh’s first offseason.
The lack of investment (to this point) in the trenches is a reflection of an overall commitment to staying disciplined in free agency. The Giants didn’t want to overspend on any player, which is easier said than done in a system that features B-level players consistently getting A-level money.
That philosophy led the Giants to bow out in the pursuit of some top targets, such as guard Alijah Vera-Tucker. The Giants were interested in Vera-Tucker and hoped to land him at a price that reflected his injury history, but when his market soared to the three-year, $42 million contract he got from the Patriots, the Giants opted against engaging in a bidding war for a player who has missed 42 games since entering the NFL in 2021.
The natural expectation was the Giants would pivot to the next-best guard in the market. Instead, they spread the money that would have gone to Vera-Tucker around. They signed cornerback Greg Newsome to a one-year, $8 million contract and penciled him as their No. 2 corner. Newsome replaced Cor’Dale Flott, who departed when the Tennessee Titans went beyond the Giants’ comfort zone with a three-year, $45 million contract.
It’s too soon to say whether the restrained approach is the right one. Having quarterback Jaxson Dart on a rookie contract provides a window that could have justified more aggressive spending on the rest of the roster, but free agency is littered with regrettable overpays. That won’t be the case for the Giants, as none of the contracts they handed out over the past two weeks will create a cap crunch in the future.
Where they did spend, and one remaining hole
Despite the lack of investment in the trenches, the Giants have taken steps to build a more physical offense. Their biggest expenditure in free agency was a three-year, $40 million contract for tight end Isaiah Likely. The 6-foot-4, 241-pounder will essentially function as the slot receiver as the Giants transition to a two-tight-end-centric offense. The Giants also made Patrick Ricard the highest-paid fullback in the league with a two-year, $7.63 million contract (no explanation is needed for how a 6-foot-3, 300-pound fullback makes the offense more physical).
The offensive makeover is incomplete until right guard is addressed, however. There are roughly six months until the season kicks off, so the Giants have plenty of time, but the market is getting thinner. Wyatt Teller seemed like a potential fit, but the two-time All-Pro signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Houston Texans last week. Harbaugh saw Teller twice per season during Teller’s seven years with the Cleveland Browns, and new Giants offensive line coach Mike Bloomgren had the same role in Cleveland last season when Teller got benched. That familiarity might explain why the Giants didn’t show much interest in the declining 31-year-old.
There are still some guards on the market with ties to the Giants and/or Harbaugh. Kevin Zeitler was with the Giants in 2019 and 2020 before spending three seasons with Harbaugh in Baltimore. Greg Van Roten has played every snap at right guard for the Giants the past two seasons. Daniel Faalele played nearly every snap at right guard for the Baltimore Ravens for the past two seasons.
The delay in signing Zeitler or Van Roten is likely tied to finances. The 36-year-old Zeitler made $9 million on a one-year contract with the Titans last season. Nothing about his play suggests he should lower his asking price, and the Giants are likely unwilling to pay that much. Van Roten has been an incredible bargain for the Giants, signing a one-year, $2 million contract during training camp in 2024 and then re-signing a one-year, $3.25 million contract last offseason. Van Roten is a 36-year-old journeyman, but he has also outperformed two straight contracts with the Giants. A hometown discount could apply for the Long Island native, but the Giants will still need to make a respectable offer. Faalele isn’t as accomplished as Zeitler and Van Roten and is likely a backup plan if the veterans sign elsewhere.
Van Roten has been the Giants’ backup plan before. The team heavily pursued Will Fries on the first day of free agency last offseason, but the guard elected to sign a five-year, $87.7 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings. The Giants promptly pivoted to Van Roten, signing him on the third day of free agency. With free agency now in its third week, it’s clear there is less motivation for a reunion this year. Still, Van Roten might not have much of a market elsewhere, and it’s conceivable the sides will eventually continue their partnership.
Veterans like Zeitler and Van Roten have no incentive to rush to sign a deal below their asking price. Van Roten proved two years ago he can show up during training camp and play a full season at a solid level.
The draft could spur action. It’s hard to imagine the Giants going into the draft with Stinnie penciled in as their starting right guard. But their willingness to wait out the market is a sign they’re likely leaning toward drafting a guard who could compete to start immediately. Taking a guard with the No. 5 pick can’t be ruled out, though the 37th pick could be the sweet spot to address the position.
The Giants could pair a drafted guard with a veteran capable of starting in case the rookie isn’t ready. And it could benefit the Giants to wait until after the draft to sign someone like Zeitler so his contract won’t factor into the compensatory pick formula. Re-signing Van Roten wouldn’t affect the comp pick formula.
The Giants have Marcus Mbow as a potential in-house option at guard since Eluemunor’s re-signing blocked the 2024 fifth-round pick’s path to a starting tackle job. Mbow could work inside this offseason, but he is primarily viewed as a tackle.
They could still add at DT
It’s clear the Giants don’t view Roberts as the answer to their hole next to All-Pro nose tackle Dexter Lawrence, as veteran defensive tackle Shelby Harris visited the team Tuesday. The 34-year-old Harris has started 83 games over the past seven seasons with the Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks and Browns. Harris just completed a two-year, $9 million contract with the Browns. His price tag should be even lower now, so he could fit into the Giants’ budget.
Other options include Calais Campbell, who spent three seasons with Harbaugh in Baltimore and continues to play at a high level as he approaches 40. Campbell played on a one-year, $5.5 million contract in Arizona last offseason, so his asking price should be reasonable. DJ Reader is probably the best run stuffer on the market, which is what the Giants’ defensive line desperately needs. The 31-year-old’s market should be much lower than the two-year, $22 million contract he just finished with the Detroit Lions. Re-signing Rakeem Nunez-Roches is also an option. The 32-year-old just finished a three-year, $12 million contract with the Giants.
Harbaugh acknowledged the importance of improving the Giants’ run defense before free agency. Reinforcements are needed on the defensive line to fix that weakness.
A matter of time for Graham Gano, waiting on Kayvon Thibodeaux
The Giants have $4 million in salary-cap space, according to the NFL Players Association. That’s among the lowest in the league, but they have plenty of avenues to create more space.
At some point, the Giants will cut kicker Graham Gano to create $4.5 million in cap savings. The delay in cutting Gano is related to the neck surgery he underwent in November. The Giants could wind up on the hook for $2.1 million if they cut Gano and he doesn’t land elsewhere. With the real possibility the 38-year-old’s career is over, the Giants will most likely wait to release Gano until he can pass a physical. It’s unclear when that will happen, but there are no plans to keep Gano, and the Giants are banking on that $4.5 million in savings.
The Giants restructured outside linebacker Brian Burns’ contract two weeks ago to create $15 million in cap space this year so they could fit their free-agent signings under the cap. The next obvious restructure candidate is left tackle Andrew Thomas, who could yield $11 million in cap savings this year with a restructure.
The biggest chunk of potential cap savings still looming is a trade of Kayvon Thibodeaux. The outside linebacker’s entire $14.75 million cap charge would come off the books in a trade since he’s on his fifth-year option in 2026. There have been no indications Thibodeaux will be moved; the belief remains the Giants are willing to move the 2022 first-round pick for the right package, but they aren’t looking to give him away. The Giants can afford to be patient, as having a quality No. 3 edge rusher is a luxury. But if Thibodeaux can be turned into an asset, whether a draft pick or a player, and the move produces significant cap savings, that would be a favorable outcome.