The NY Giants might sneak into the NFL Playoffs, but that shouldn’t hide the fact that this roster lacks talent at several key positions and could use upgrades across the depth chart
The NY Giants still have a legitimate chance to win the dreadful NFC East with a victory over the Dallas Cowboys Sunday combined with a Washington Football Team loss, but even a postseason berth shouldn’t mask how far away this team is from legitimately competing for championships.
This will be a pivotal offseason filled with questions surrounding whether quarterback Daniel Jones’ ceiling is high enough entering his third season to develop into a legitimate franchise quarterback, how to surround him with game-breaking talent in order to properly evaluate him — if the organization decides to commit to him — as well as plugging holes on a defense that began leaking oil over the final month of the season.
With glaring needs at wide receiver, offensive tackle, cornerback, linebacker, and edge rusher — just to name a few, Dave Gettleman, or whoever replaces him as general manager, will have their work cut out for them this offseason.
Regardless of what transpires at MetLife Stadium and down the New Jersey Turnpike at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, the Giants need to make some very difficult decisions about this roster entering a pivotal second season of head coach Joe Judge’s tenure.
Here’s a look at six players who the Giants should move on from in 2021:
LB Kyler Fackrell
The Giants signed Fackrell to a one-year “prove it” deal, worth $4.6 million that included $3.5 million in guarantees, but all Fackrell proved is that he can be a rotational pass rusher and not the headliner of a dominant pass rush.
Fackrell has produced just three sacks and 31 total tackles with one interception and one forced fumble in 11 games this season prior to suffering a leg injury that landed him on injured reserve.
Next season, the Giants will be getting Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines back and presumably fully healthy and will likely be big spenders at the top of the pass rush market this offseason and potentially even target the position in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft. Fackrell’s first season in a Giants uniform offered little reason the organization should rush to re-sign him.