Dave Gettleman has certainly made many mistakes during his tenure with the New York Giants, but the GM has nailed a bunch of moves, too.
New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman has been a lightening rod for criticism since taking over the helm of the team in 2017. His tumultuous relationship with the media, reneging on statements made regarding players, as well as questionable free agent signings and trades have left him in a negative light with many Giants fans.
However, that does not mean that he hasn’t had his share of positive moves with the franchise.
Here are his top ten moves since taking over as the general manager:
10. Moving Snacks Harrison at the 2018 trade deadline
Damon Harrison was one of the more beloved players on the New York Giants defense, making this move a difficult one for Giants fans to endure. Losing the run stopping prowess of Harrison made trading him for a fifth round pick seem ill advised.
However, rumors would later surface that the trade was done due to a combination of on-field and off-field issues that the Giants brass had with Harrison. The on-field issues were more due to the fact that he didn’t fit the scheme the Giants defense was employing, as well as Dalvin Tomlinson and B.J. Hill did. Ultimately, Tomlinson and Hill were younger, cheaper options that were better suited for the scheme of the New York defense, making Harrison expendable. The off-field issues were reportedly in regards to confrontations that Harrison had with teammates, including Jason Pierre-Paul and Will Hernandez.
While the Giants would use the fifth round pick they received from the Detroit Lions, to trade up for Deandre Baker, who has not lived up to expectations, the bigger benefit comes from the salary cap savings. By moving Harrison, the Giants were able to shed over $32 million in salary moving forward, money that can be used to sign more pressing team needs. As a result, the trade was a success for Dave Gettleman and the Giants.
9. Free agent acquisition Markus Golden
Gettleman and the Giants decided to take a chance on one of James Bettcher’s former defensive players, signing Markus Golden to a one-year $3.75 million contract. Golden had experienced success in Bettcher’s scheme previously with the Arizona Cardinals, having racked up 12.5 sacks in the 2016 season.
However, following the breakout season in 2016, Golden was plagued by injury, appearing in just four games in 2017 and 11 games in 2018 with the Cardinals. As a result, he was available to the Giants at a reasonable price, opting to sign the one-year show me contract with New York.
The move has paid dividends, as Golden has 43 tackles, six and a half sacks and a fumble recovery on the year for the Giants. He has been a leader on the defense and has provided consistent pressure throughout the season. As a result, Golden stands to gain a substantially larger contract this offseason, whether it is through extension with the Giants or with another team. Either way, the move was a great low risk, high reward signing by Gettleman.
8. Drafting Dexter Lawrence
When Dave Gettleman selected Dexter Lawrence with the 17th overall pick in the 2019 draft, it was met with a hailstorm of criticism. Most pegged Lawrence as a one trick pony, who would only be good in run defense. In addition, critics pointed to the fact that the New York Giants already had Dalvin Tomlinson and B.J. Hill on their roster, who projected as similar players as Lawrence, making the pick seem redundant.
The performance by Lawrence in his rookie season, has served as validation for Gettleman’s decision to spend such a high pick on him. He has 26 tackles, two and a half sacks, a forced fumble, three quarterback hurries, five quarterback hits and 10 quarterback pressures on the season. In doing so, he is currently rated as the Giants top performing player by Pro Football Focus, earning a grade of 82.8.
Given that Lawrence was arguably the best defensive player on a stout Clemson national championship defense, it is not surprising the level of success that he has had his rookie year. Currently, he has a PFF grade of 88.0 against the run, good for sixth best in the league. Lawrence has demonstrated that he has the skill set to be dominant in both the pass rush and run stop for years to come, making the controversial selection by Gettleman look extremely wise.
7. Trading Jason Pierre-Paul
Following the 2017 season, Dave Gettleman made the decision to trade defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with a fourth round pick for Tampa’s third round and fourth round picks in the 2018 draft.
Pierre-Paul was coming off of a disappointing season following him signing a huge four-year $62 million deal with the Giants in 2017. The move was primarily made because Pierre-Paul did not fit the 3-4 defensive scheme employed by the Giants, but it allowed Big Blue to accumulate draft capital and rid themselves of a hefty contract.
The Giants would go on to select B.J. Hill with the third round pick and Kyle Lauletta with the fourth round picks they received from the Buccaneers. While Lauletta would be cut prior to the 2019 season, Hill remains an integral part of the defensive line for the Giants, having accumulated 100 tackles and five and a half sacks in his first two seasons.
In addition to adding young, cheap talent in Hill, more importantly, the Giants were able to shed $17.5 million in cap space by trading Pierre-Paul. While he has been able to record 14 sacks since coming over from the Giants, he has also missed a number of games this season after suffering a neck injury in a car accident in the preseason. Given the production that the Giants have received from Hill and the amount of cap savings they were able to achieve by moving Pierre-Paul, this move has to be considered a major win for Dave Gettleman.
6. Letting Landon Collins walk in free agency
Gettleman’s decision to let Pro Bowl safety Landon Collins walk in free agency was met with criticism and contempt from many New York Giants fans. Most wanted Gettleman to maintain their superstar safety and make him the face of the defense for years to come. However, Gettleman saw him as an excellent box safety, who did not fit the defensive scheme of James Bettcher and felt that the safety position was not one worth allocating as much money to as Collins was demanding.
As a result, Gettleman opted to let Collins enter free agency, ultimately deciding to sign a six-year $84 million deal with the division rival Washington Redskins. Gettleman would later fill the void left by Collins, when he received Jabril Peppers from the Cleveland Browns as a part of the Odell Beckham Jr. trade.
The deal has worked out for the New York Giants thus far, as they have Peppers locked up through through 2021. Peppers is owed only $3.75 million this year and next and is arbitration eligible in 2021, a massive savings over the average annual cost of $14 million that Collins is making. In addition, the team received a third round compensatory pick in next year’s draft, due to Collins signing with the Redskins.
The comparison of stats gives credence to the fact that the Giants benefited by letting Collins walk. Currently, Collins has a stat line of 83 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and two pass deflections. Contrast that with the stat line of Peppers of 71 tackles, three forced fumbles, one interception for a touchdown, and five pass deflections, for a guy who better fits the scheme the Giants defense employs, and it appears that Gettleman landed the better option at safety by trading for Peppers and letting Collins go to Washington. Factor in that Peppers is putting up arguably better numbers than Collins, for almost $12.5 million less annually and this decision looks even better.
5. Selecting Darius Slayton in the 5th round of the 2019 draft
When Dave Gettleman and the New York Giants decided to select the speedy Darius Slayton with the 171st overall pick in the fifth round of the 2019 draft, it went unnoticed, with the exception of a few experts calling it a potential steal. Slayton’s speed was unquestioned, but a history of dropped balls and route running gaffs in college caused him to slip down the draft board.
After enduring issues with dropped balls in rookie training camp, Slayton was able to make the appropriate corrections to his game to impress in training camp and the preseason. Injury would cause him to miss the first two games of the season, but Slayton would get his first NFL start in week three against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, coinciding with the first career start of quarterback Daniel Jones.
Jones and Slayton have shown a comfort level this season that suggests the duo could be dangerous for years to come for the Giants. Due to a plethora of injuries to the receiving corps, the rookie Slayton has been pressed into action much earlier than anticipated, but the results have been impressive.
On the season, Slayton has 27 receptions for 394 yards and five receiving touchdowns. His Week 11 effort was his most impressive, when he had 115 receiving yards and two touchdowns against the New York Jets. Given where he was drafted and how far he has come already as a rookie wide receiver, the selection of Slayton has to be considered a major success for Gettleman.
4. Drafting Will Hernandez in the 2nd round of the 2018 draft
Many draft experts believed that Will Hernandez projected as a first round draft pick as a guard coming out of the University of Texas-El Paso. However, Dave Gettleman was able to draft Hernandez in the second round of the 2018 draft and he has not disappointed.
Following a solid rookie season, that had Hernandez ranked only behind All-Pro rookie guard Quenton Nelson at the position, Hernandez came into 2019 rated as a top ten guard in football by Pro Football Performance. The young guard has played with a mean streak, acting as the enforcer for the offensive line. Despite thriving in that role, he was impressively only called for one penalty in 1,027 snaps as a rookie last year.
This season has seen a slight decline in play from Hernandez, but he remains ranked in the top ten amongst guards by PFF in regards to pass protection rating, with a grade of 79.3. It appears that New York has a potential Pro Bowl caliber guard for on their roster for the foreseeable future, undoubtedly a victory for Gettleman.
3. Passing on a quarterback in favor of Saquon Barkley with the 2nd pick of the 2018 draft
When the Giants possessed the second overall pick in the 2018 draft, most draft experts felt the most prudent decision for Gettleman would be to pass on Saquon Barkley, who was undoubtedly the most talented player in the draft. Instead, Gettleman would choose to forego their franchise quarterback of the future instead, opting to pick the generational talent Barkley with the pick.
Barkley would go on to win the Rookie of the Year award in 2018, after accumulating 2,028 all-purpose yards and 15 touchdowns on the season, en route to a Pro Bowl selection. In addition to those accolades, Barkley would tie the NFL record for most 50+ yard plays from scrimmage (5), tying Randy Moss, the league record for most receptions in a game by a rookie (14) and most receptions by a rookie running back in league history (91).
He would also go on to break a number of franchise records for the Giants including most rushing yards (1,307), most rushing touchdowns (11) and most total touchdowns (15). While he has had a down year in 2019, due to an ankle injury and a poor offensive line, Barkley has all the makings of a future Hall of Fame running back. Given the success that Daniel Jones has had, selecting Barkley with the second pick appears to be the right choice by Gettleman.
2. Trading Odell Beckham Jr. and Olivier Vernon
In what was a highly controversial trade, Dave Gettleman sent elite wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and pass rusher Olivier Vernon to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for safety Jabril Peppers, former Pro Bowl guard Kevin Zeitler, the 17th overall selection in the 2019 draft and the third round pick of the Browns. This was following a statement by Gettleman that he had not signed Odell Beckham Jr. to a big deal just to trade him.
While the Giants decided to move on from one of the most talented receivers in the game, something that is not easily replaced, they were able to add much needed talent to their roster while shedding salary from what had become the worst cap situation in the NFL.
Ultimately, the move would allow the team to add Peppers to replace Landon Collins, who had departed in free agency. As previously mentioned, Peppers was a better fit for a fraction of the cost. New York also bolstered their offensive line with Zeitler, which caused Pro Football Performance to rank the guard combination of he and Will Hernandez as one of the best in the league. They also added much needed talent on defense by selecting Dexter Lawrence and Oshane Ximines with the draft picks they received from Cleveland.
While the contracts of Zeitler and Peppers amounted to just under $28 million, it was a far cry from the combined $103.5 million in salary that Cleveland inherited by acquiring Beckham Jr. and Vernon. The move helped remove the Giants from a precarious position in regards to future cap space, allowing them to open up what is projected to be approximately $64 million in cap space in 2020.
So far, the players the Giants have received as a result of the deal have far and away out performed those the Browns received. Given their hefty salaries, OBJ and Vernon have been major disappointments for Cleveland so far. Beckham has just one touchdown on the year, while hauling in 48 receptions for 649 yards. Vernon meanwhile has 23 tackles, three sacks and one forced fumble.
Until this past week, Peppers actually had as many touchdowns as Beckham Jr. following his interception for a touchdown versus Washington earlier in the season. In addition, he has 71 tackles, three forced fumbles, and five pass deflections. Lawrence has a stat line of 26 tackles, two and a half sacks, one forced fumble and has consistently pressured opposing quarterbacks. Ximines has 20 tackles, two sacks and a pass deflection this year. Zeitler, while he hasn’t played up to his Pro Bowl abilities, has a solid overall grade of 71.1 from PFF on the season, while committing only two penalties so far.
Given the number of holes that Gettleman was able to fill by trading Odell Beckham Jr. and Olivier Vernon, the amount of cap space that they were able to clear and the productivity of the players New York received versus the disappointing numbers that Beckham Jr. and Vernon have contributed this season, this trade has to be viewed as a monster win for Gettleman and the Giants so far.
1. Drafting Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft
In what was perhaps the most controversial first round selection in recent memory, Dave Gettleman decided to fly in the faces of all of the so-called experts by selecting Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick. The selection was met with complete mockery, as most suggested it was a reach and that Jones could have been had much later than the sixth pick.
It would later come out that both the Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos were interested in drafting Jones, so he likely would not have lasted until the 17th pick. However, that did not contain the disdain and contempt that Giants fans had for Gettleman due to his decision to pick Jones. Most Giants fans felt that pass rusher Josh Allen would have been the better pick at that position.
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Daniel Jones would do his best to silence all the critics, handling the criticism of the media and fans with the utmost professionalism. When the preseason rolled around, Jones would perform at such a high level, that he would make most people stop questioning the decision of Gettleman to draft him so high.
By week three, the struggling Giants would make the decision to move on from legendary quarterback Eli Manning, deciding instead to make a move to the future by inserting Jones as their new starter. Jones would reward them by going out and winning his first two starts, giving Giants fans faith that Gettleman had made the right choice, while giving a glimmer of hope for the future of the team.
While Jones hasn’t been able to lead the Giants to victory since those two games, his numbers have been impressive, as he has broken or stands to break a number of league and franchise records as a rookie quarterback. While turnovers continue to be an issue for the rookie signal caller, the future certainly looks bright for him if his offensive line can protect him and keep him healthy.
The success of Jones helps validate a number of other moves made by Gettleman, and truth be told many of those mistakes won’t end up mattering if the QB continues to flourish.