The Giants Have New Found Depth and Versatility
By Jesse Connor
Coming off consecutive losing seasons, fueled by mass injury, the Giants have quietly added quality depth and versatility to their roster. Just because a team doesn’t go out and overpay for free agents does not mean that they had a bad offseason. The Giants fit that mold pretty damn well.
It is out of character for New York to spend a lot of money on free agents. They brought in 4 players on the offensive side of the ball and 6 on the defensive side of the ball in free agency. Some of those guys will contribute on special teams as well. In addition, they used the draft to bring in 3 more players on on both the offense and defense.
The lack of depth for the Giants got exposed over the past two seasons with starters going down and inexperienced or lesser talented players having to fill in. On offense the Giants brought in former New England Patriot and Super Bowl champion running back Shane Vereen, wide receiver/ special team ace Dwayne Harris, swing tackle Marshall Newhouse and Canadian import Brett Jones to play the interior line. In the draft they selected two offensive lineman in Ereck Flowers and Bobby Hart as well as wide receiver Geremy Davis
Jun 16, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants running back Shane Vereen (34) participates in practice during minicamp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Steven Ryan-USA TODAY Sports
Shane Vereen will add some much needed insurance for Rashad Jennings who missed 5 games last season. Vereen, like Jennings, is an excellent receiver out of the backfield. In the event Jennings goes down again the Giants will not lose that element from their game as they did last year. Andre Williams, who filled in admirably for Jennings, is not much of a receiving threat as he caught only 18 passes in 16 games in 2014. In comparison Jennings caught 30 balls in limited time and Vereen caught 52 passes while in New England. Vereen will round out the Giant’s backfield. Jennings and Williams are bruising backs while Vereen will most likely be the 3rd down back to relieve Jennings and catch the ball out of the backfield. Two backs who can run you over, two that can catch it, and two that can block very well. All in 3 players. Versatility and depth, check.
Dwayne Harris and Geremy Davis were brought in both for their special teams skills but they add depth to a receiving core that has the potential to be the best in football. Odell Beckham, Jr, Victor Cruz, and Rueben Randle look to line up as the starters but if for any reason that is not the case Harris and Davis are fall back option behind Preston Parker and Corey Washington. Harris brings an explosive element with his speed while Davis is a possession type receiver. At the very least, with these two on the roster, the Giants will not be forced to bring in a street free agent like they were with Kevin Ogeltree a season ago. Two guys who bring special teams ability and opposite receiving styles at the bottom of the depth chart is never a bad thing.
On the offensive line, first round pick Ereck Flowers will start immediately. This slides Justin Pugh inside, moves Weston Richburg to center, puts Geoff Schwartz back to his guard position and leaves the right tackle position up for grabs while John Jerry takes a step back to a reserve role, and though Jerry was not the best player up front last year, having a guy who has started every game since December of 2011 as a reserve goes a long way.
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The addition of Flowers makes the line much stronger if not soley for the positioning of the linemen. Marshall Newhouse can play both tackle positions and guard but he is best suited for a backup role. He is familiar with offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo as he played with him while a member of the Green Bay Packers. His experience playing both sides of the line will come in handy. Sixth round pick, Bobby Hart, is a massive young man who I think will battle for playing time early. He was drafted as a guard but may be better suited to play tackle in the NFL. He played all along the line during his college career and even if he is not starter he can fill in wherever he is needed, dont be surprised if he is the starting right tackle at some point this season. Finally, Brett Jones, the center from the CFL will come in and battle for the backup center and guard spots with incumbent veteran Dallas Reynolds, who’s play last season was forgettable. If he can edge out Reynolds he will be an upgrade to the overall depth of the line. Newhouse can be a veteran leader type, Jones can play the interior line and Hart can play guard or tackle, on either side. With movable pieces the depth of the line has been upgraded.
The Giants defense struggled last season and again it was due to a lack of depth. To fix that issue they brought in two defensive lineman, two linebackers and two defensive backs through free agency and drafted another D-lineman and two more safeties. The signings of DE George Selvie and DT Kenrick Ellis will immediately add depth to the defense. Ellis is a proven run stuffer and will most likely rotate with veteran Cullen Jenkins next to Jonatahn Hankins in the middle of the line. Hopefully his presence means the end of Markus Kuhn’s tenure with big blue, as his play has been very poor. Selvie, along with rookie Owamagbe Odighizuwa add depth as both pass rushers and run stuffers on the edges. This depth will be tested immediately with Jason Pierre-Paul’s future up in the air.
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In addition to the linemen the Giants signed linebackers J.T Thomas and Jonathan Casillas. Thomas played inside and outside for the Jaguars last season and figures to do so with the Giants. More likely then not though he will be in the starting lineup at some point of the season. His presence adds depth to the linebackers who also have Mark Herzlich to fill in. As for Casillas, he will be called upon primarily for special teams but has started 18 games over 3 seasons in the NFL. If the staring unit can remain healthy this unit is going to surprise people. They have 4 LB’s that are starting caliber, 1 more who excels vs the run (Herzlich) and another who can play outside and line up on specials. The depth is there for the first time in a while.
Jun 16, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants safety Landon Collins (21) participates in practice during minicamp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Steven Ryan-USA TODAY Sports
In the secondary the Giant’s brought in Josh Gordy and Jeromy Miles via free agency and drafted Landon Collins and Mykkele Thompson. Gordy has played both corner and safety over his 5 year career and his versatility may be needed for a secondary that has youngsters on the back-end and vets up front. Miles comes over from Baltimore with familiarity with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Landon Collins was drafted in the second round and has been tagged with the “box safety” label but that is simply untrue. Though he is a big hitter and plays well coming downhill, he has plenty of ability to play over the top and makes plays on the ball in the air. Mykkele Thompson is more of a free safety “center fielder” he makes plays on the ball in the air and tracks it down very well. Thompson is also a very good tackler, though not a big hitter like Collins. The Giants need their young safeties to showcase their well rounded abilities this season in order to prevent another woeful season.
None of these names stand out as big stars and saviors but together their versatility and positioning on the depth chart will pay dividends for a team that has suffered from a low quality of depth for several season now.