New York Giants Co-Owner John Mara Thinks Starting Free Safety Is Already On The Roster

New York Giants co-owner John Mara, prior to the NFL Meetings at the Boca Raton Resort & Club, shared some of his thoughts on how they handled free agency to the media.

On the initial spending spree for Olivier Vernon, Damon Harrison and Janoris Jenkins, Mara revealed, “We targeted these three guys. I thought we would get two of them. We ended up getting three of them… The three guys were a little more expensive than I thought they were going to be.” Giants fans and analysts alike would agree with that sentiment.

What might be a point of contention, however, is what Mara believes is the plan for free safety. Safeties Nat Berhe, Bennett Jackson and Mykkele Thompson were all injured for the entire 2015 season and none of them have started an NFL game. One of them, Mara believes, will start at free safety in 2016.

“I’d like that to be the plan. We felt good about all of them,” Mara said. “They all got hurt. I’d like one of them to step up and be the free safety, yes.”
The notion of signing a big-name FS like Eric Berry or Eric Weddle was appealing until Jerry Reese spent $204.25 million, with $114 million of it guaranteed, within the first 24 hours of free agency. But many expected the Giants to target a second-tier safety to complement Landon Collins.

Perhaps a veteran signing is still in the cards, but it’s clear Mara would like Berhe, Jackson or Thompson to be the starter. However, that was Reese’s plan last season before Berhe injured his calf, Jackson tore his knee and Thompson blew out his Achilles before the preseason came to a close. The Giants signed Brandon Meriweather in August to fill out the roster and he ended up starting the first 11 games.

All three safeties will be back to start the Giants offseason workout program next month and the competition will begin.