New York Giants: Jerry Reese Must Be Aggressive in Free Agency
Today I am going to play Jerry Reese. I am going to outline an offseason plan to build a New York Giants team that we can be proud of. These are all hypothetical situations, things that could happen, not necessarily what will happen. Our virtual offseason starts in free agency.
The Giants need to be aggressors in free agency. There are so many problems that cannot be solved by a good draft class alone. There are two areas the Giants need to address in free agency. The offensive line and the secondary. Rookie linemen and defensive backs have their work cut out for them transitioning into the NFL. Signing Mike Iupati, and Devin McCourty would bring the Giants the immediate return they need.
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The Giants will have some money to play with, but there are a few decisions they can make to maximize their budget. First of all the Giants can give a contract extension to quarterback, Eli Manning.
This would give Eli Manning some extra security down the line, and help the Giants arrange the yearly payments in a way that behooves the club.
Secondly, the Giants can make some strategic cuts. First on the list would be Rashad Jennings. Cutting the injury prone running back would give the starting job to Andre Williams (something I’d be okay seeing) and would free a chunk of cap space.
Cullen Jenkins would be another player who could get released. The Giants can get the same production from a younger player; the phrase 34 year old defensive tackle is cut-bait.
With a little more money to spend the Giants know exactly what they need to do. Iupati is the priority. Iupati is one of the best guards in football. He is athletic and powerful. Signing Iupati could be a long term investment as he is only 27. With an improved offensive line, the Giants offense would look very strong on paper.
McCourty is a very good safety, something the Giants simply don’t have. McCourty will take away the deep pass from opponents, as a true free safety. The Giants cornerback situation is actually pretty good, assuming Prince Amukamara and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie can remain healthy. This signing would help patch up the Giants 31st ranked defense.
These signings would allow the Giants to fix the Giants front 7 in the 2015 NFL Draft. This draft is rich with defensive linemen and linebackers that can make an instant impact. By fixing the offensive line and the secondary with two big time free agents, the Giants make it possible to address every problem area on the roster.