New York Giants: Offseason Workouts Bring Good and Bad News
As the offseason progresses and the draft nears, the Giants will begin their workouts this week.
The workouts begin with a focus on the New York Giants defensive line, following skeptic tweets from Owa Odighizuwa and the departure of Johnathan Hankins.
The Good News
Per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, the New York Giants have managed to retain one defensive lineman, Kerry Wynn. The four-year veteran out of Richmond, has had a modest career, but proves to be a valuable commodity as a backup.
Despite Wynn not having the flashiest numbers of the bunch, he’s an asset, and he’s only costing the Giants $1.797 million for the 2017 season. He will need to fight for his spot on the roster, since his contract is not guaranteed as a restricted free-agent.
Another Big Blue hooray, is the presence of Owa Odighizuwa around the New York Giants facility. Recently, tweets emerged stating that the rotational defensive end “needed some time away from the game.”
This put the Giants organization in a frenzy, and sent Jerry Reese racing to find out the cause and concerns of the former UCLA product.
Related Story: If Odighizuwa Retires, What Will New York Giants Be Missing?
Luckily, Reese was able to sway the emotional Odighizuwa towards staying with the team, and although his tweets sent concern through the organization, he seems to have found his peace of mind elsewhere.
Reports have also seen B.J. Goodson taking a little extra time to improve his game prior to training camp.
With Goodson beginning to realize he needs to take the leap from par to starting caliber linebacker, he has hit the gym weeks in advance, attempting to blow our minds away come September.
I for one, think that Goodson has what it takes to develop nicely into a run stuffing linebacker, despite recent mock drafts taking Zach Cunningham out of Vanderbilt.
Nonetheless, here comes the bad news.
The Bad News
Well, there’s no way to say this nicely, but the Giant’s have a few more holes than previously expected.
The departure of “Big Hank,” left a literal gaping hole in the middle of the defensive line. How will Jerry Reese combat that? Probably by signing a seasoned veteran through free agency, but it’s possible he looks to the draft for answers.
Must Read: New York Giants: Is Hankins A Good Fit For Colts?
Switching over to the offensive line, there are still a ton of question marks.
With Weston Richburg and Justin Pugh being the only established players on the line, it leaves us hoping the rest of the make-shift line will find their sea legs.
D.J. Fluker is on a one-year deal, but who knows if he will be the monster he once was in college. Ultimately, he’s a low-risk investment, with a ton of upside. Unfortunately, upside doesn’t necessarily translate into quality in the NFL.
Flowers, John Jerry and Bobby Hart are all average, maybe even subpar, depending on who you ask.
With the anticipation that a lineman will be drafted in the first round of the NFL draft, competition is likely, and welcomed, leading up to the pre-season.