Few teams made more offseason moves than the New York Giants.
New York, after missing the playoffs for the fourth straight season, decided to relieve head coach Tom Coughlin of his duties and replace him with offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. General manager Jerry Reese was kept on board for what amounts to a prove-it-or-else campaign in 2016, a notion he clearly understands after seeing a flurry of activity this spring.
The Giants are typically not big spenders in free agency, but Reese took a departure from that strategy to sign cornerback Janoris Jenkins, nose tackle Damon Harrison and defensive end Olivier Vernon. Jenkins signed for $62 million, but the eye-popper was Vernon’s deal, which topped $85 million overall and $52 million in guarantees. To put that in perspective, Vernon received more guaranteed money than Justin Houston or J.J. Watt.
The spending spree might backfire, but for Reese, it was a necessary gamble. The only way the Giants can make up ground quickly in the NFC is to spend early and often on free agents with proven track records. Some would argue that Jenkins and Vernon are more supporting cast and not headliner material, but Reese is gambling on both to continue developing.
Vernon has only amassed double digits in sacks once in his four-year career, doing so with 11.5 in 2013. If he can pair with Jason Pierre-Paul to become a fierce tandem on the edges, the Giants could have a vaunted pass rush. Of course, that is a massive if considering Vernon’s limited track record and Pierre-Paul’s mangled hand.
Offensively, New York could be poised to be a top-flight unit. Eli Manning is entering his 13th season and continues to be underrated despite a pair of Super Bowl rings. Manning, 35, will throw ill-advised interceptions but also create chunk yardage, throwing for more than 4,400 yards in 2015.
Manning will have an improved cast around him this season. Odell Beckham Jr. is one of the top playmakers in the sport and entering his third season, the arrow on his productivity is straight up. Last year, Beckham caught 96 passes for 1,450 yards and 13 touchdowns. This season, Beckham will have Victor Cruz back on the other side after the veteran missed all of last year while recovering from a torn patellar tendon.
If the Giants can get anything from second-round receiver Sterling Shepard, they might have the best pass-catching trio in the league. New York will need it to truly compete, with the defense still having issues at the linebacker spots and an offense without a true lead back.
For New York, the playoffs are a must. Without that goal being accomplished, it could be time for ownership to move on from Reese, who has done little since winning a Super Bowl in 2011. If that happens, McAdoo could be a one-season stopover with a new general manager wanting to implement his own regime.
The Giants are facing a franchise-defining season, for better or worse.
Schedule
Week 1 – at Dallas Cowboys
Week 2 – New Orleans Saints
Week 3 – Washington Redskins
Week 4 – at Minnesota Vikings (Mon.)
Week 5 – at Green Bay Packers (Sun. night)
Week 6 – Baltimore Ravens
Week 7 – at Los Angeles Rams
Week 8 – BYE
Week 9 – Philadelphia Eagles
Week 10 – Cincinnati Bengals (Mon.)
Week 11 – Chicago Bears
Week 12 – at Cleveland Browns
Week 13 – at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 14 – Dallas Cowboys (Sun. night)
Week 15 – Detroit Lions
Week 16 – at Philadelphia Eagles (Thurs.)
Week 17 – at Washington Redskins
If the Giants are going to make a move in the NFC East, it will be between Weeks 6-12. New York faces a soft portion of the schedule that sees only one playoff team from a year ago. The Giants also will be at home for a month with three straight home games and a bye week.
The end of the schedule will certainly be challenging with Pittsburgh on the road, followed by home games against Dallas and Detroit. The final two contests are away from MetLife Stadium, drawing the Eagles on a short week and then the Redskins.
Draft class
Round 1 (10) – Eli Apple, CB, Ohio State
Round 2 (40) – Sterling Shepard, WR, Oklahoma
Round 3 (71) – Darian Thompson, S, Boise State
Round 4 (109) – B.J. Goodson, OLB, Clemson
Round 5 (149) – Paul Perkins, RB, UCLA
Round 6 (184) – Jerell Adams, TE, South Carolina
This class should be applauded by the Big Blue faithful. New York got what appears to be a starting corner in Apple, who can combine with Jenkins to give New York a nice tandem in the secondary. The pick of Shepard also gives McAdoo some options if Cruz can’t reach his old level.
Thompson is under the radar, but he could absolutely start early on. Thompson comes from a winning program and was thought to be a second-round pick. If he fulfills his potential, the Giants might get three starters out of their class.
Offseason moves
Acquired
Olivier Vernon, DE (5 years, $85 million)
Damon Harrison, NT (5 years, $46 million)
Janoris Jenkins, CB (5 years, $62 million)
Leon Hall, CB (1 year, $1.5 million)
Lost
Robert Ayers, DE (TB – 3 years, $21 million)
Prince Amukamara, CB (1 year, $5.5 million)
X-Factor
Can New York get anything out of its linebackers? The Giants don’t have much talent to speak of in that group, and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo simply needs the linebackers to avoid being a total disaster.
The Giants have a promising, young secondary and a very good defensive line, but everything could be undone by the second level. New York has to find a way to either coach up the current group or find ways to hide the linebackers each week.
Bottom Line
The Giants could reach the playoffs, but it won’t be easy. The NFC East is tougher than it has been in recent years and the conference as a whole is loaded with good teams. New York has an excess of talent in certain spots, but others have little to none.
Last year, the Giants could have won the division if not for bad clock management in multiple games. If they can clean up the little things and get some luck along the way, it could be the first postseason berth since 2011.