New York Giants Salary Cap: 7 Positions To Spend On
By Neal Lynch
4. Long Snapper
Signed Players: Tyler Ott
2016 Cap Dollars Allotted: $450,000
Percentage of 2016 Salary Cap: 0.38%
NFL Rank: 25
I expect special teams captain and current free agent Zak DeOssie to be re-signed and bounce back from a down season in which he suffered his first season-ending injury and have another great season. A lil’ bump in salary wouldn’t hurt, but Ott is signed through 2016, so who knows what McAdoo has up his sleeve.
5. Defensive Tackle
Signed Players: Johnathan Hankins, Jay Bromley, Louis Nix
2016 Cap Dollars Allotted: $2,688,460
Percentage of 2016 Salary Cap: 2.27%
NFL Rank: 21
The Giants desperately need to find a solid complement to Hank the Tank in the middle of that defensive front. Either Jaye Howard or Ian Williams would make the interior one of the strongest in the league, plus a couple draft picks would ensure Big Blue is stingy up the gut.
6. Cornerback
Signed Players: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Trevin Wade, Tramain Jacobs, Leon McFadden
2016 Cap Dollars Allotted: $9,950,000
Percentage of 2016 Salary Cap: 8.39%
NFL Rank: 20
To sign Prince or not sign Prince. That is the question. Prince Amukamara has stated that he would love to re-sign with the team that drafted him in the first round out of Nebraska in 2011. The problem is of the 80 potential games he could’ve played over five seasons, he’s started only 45. So, how good is Prince? Some suggested he’s the best shutdown corner in the league.
From Big Blue Interactive:
"“Meanwhile, Prince Amukamara had a Pro Bowl caliber season cut short due to injury. In the eight games that he played, he amassed a +4.7 PFF grade, for strong work in not only pass coverage but also in run defense. He allowed 26 receptions on 44 targets (59.1%) but allowed no touchdowns, picked off three passes and had five passes defensed. He, like DRC, allowed only one 100-yard game on him, and that was to an all-world performance by Tony Romo and Dez Bryant when the Giants first played the Dallas Cowboys.”"
Are the Giants willing to cough up more than $7 million per year to Prince to get maybe half a season out of him? Or do they pay for more consistently healthy ‘backs like Janoris Jenkins or Sean Smith?
7. Outside Linebacker
Signed Players: J.T. Thomas, Jonathan Casillas, Mark Herzlich, Devon Kennard
2016 Cap Dollars Allotted: $9,877,806
Percentage of 2016 Salary Cap: 8.33%
NFL Rank: 18
Almost everyone believes the Giants need to completely revamp and/or overhaul their linebacking corps with the outside backers under most scrutiny.
Devon Kennard has been called a “secret superstar” and could be a Pro Bowler if he stays healthy. Casillas had a decent season, J.T. Thomas took a step back, and Herzlich had 17 combined tackles with one forced fumble. Thomas was considered one of the worst free agent signings in the 2015 offseason and Casillas wasn’t much better with a -5.2 rating heading into the 2015 regular season.
So, maybe the Giants look to cut Thomas or bring in someone else to supplant him. But, the market for 4-3 outside linebackers is scant. There are plenty of 3-4 outside linebackers, but with Steve Spagnuolo staying on, those talents are most likely out of consideration. Odds are the Giants draft an outside linebacker to compete and hope to make waves on the defensive line to make up for the lackluster linebackers.