The NY Giants have plenty of holes to fill on the roster, and must bolster the talent around QB Daniel Jones, but there are several top free agents who can fill those needs
The NY Giants have plenty of holes to fill, entering a pivotal offseason, after missing the NFL Playoffs for the eighth time in the past nine seasons, but fortunately for New York, there will be plenty of marquee free agents available at their biggest positions of need.
As quarterback Daniel Jones enters his third NFL season, the Giants will need to add game-altering talent at wide receiver if this team is going to have a legitimate chance of competing next season and could use a dominant pass rusher and depth along the offensive line, among other needs.
Currently, the NY Giants have approximately $16.8 million in cap space, which is 18th most in the NFL, with flexibility to create more.
Here’s a look at the Giants’ five biggest needs, and the best available free agent targets to fill them:
5. Tight end
It is time for the NY Giants to realize that Evan Engram’s tantalizing moments of brilliance his athleticism provides are far too fleeting when compared to his nine drops and missed opportunities this season.
Engram, for reasons unknown, was voted to his first Pro Bowl this season despite catching just 63 passes for 654 yards and a touchdown.
Whether the Giants are within striking distance of Florida’s Kyle Pettis, viewed by many to be a generational tight end prospect, our come away with Penn State’s Pat Freiermuth in Round 2 of the NFL Draft, this is a position the Giants must aim to upgrade either in free agency or the draft this offseason.
Top free agent targets:
Hunter Henry
Henry, 26, had a strong season where he caught 60 of his 87 targets for 613 yards and four touchdowns as he looked fully recovered from a torn ACL suffered in 2018. A reliable pass catching option, Henry dropped just three passes and Justin Herbert produced a 99.4 passer rating when targeting him this season. It’s that sort of reliability that could really give Jones and the Giants’ offense a boost.
Jonnu Smith
Smith might be tailor made for the Giants’ offense, because of his ability to make big plays after the catch, which is what the Giants envisioned Engram’s role to be this season. While he was only targeted 61 times in 2020, he caught 40 of those passes for 440 yards and eight touchdowns. It is unlikely Smith will sign a cost prohibitive contract, so the Giants might be able to make a play to pry him away from the Titans.
Gerald Everett
Another after the catch weapon, Pro Football Focus points out that Everett has broken 28 tackles this season. If the Giants’ strategy is to build an offense around prolific weapons in the passing game, Everett could be a great fit. In a limited role, Everett caught 39 of 53 target for 392 yards and a touchdown this season.
4. Cornerback
Despite the Giants boasting a burgeoning defense, among its most glaring deficiencies remains at cornerback.
James Bradberry will make his first Pro Bowl and had the type of season that puts him in the mix to be named a first-team All-Pro. But, it isn’t apparent whether there is a starting caliber cornerback capable of starting on the opposite side of the field currently on the Giants’ roster.
Some evaluators and executives across the league will contend that cornerback is the second-most vital position on a championship caliber roster. If the Giants’ defense is going to take the next step, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the organization dip back into the free agency well this offseason and target a cornerback in the early rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Might the Giants strike gold in free agency for the second consecutive offseason?
Top free agent targets
William Jackson
A former first-round pick, Williams has never quite lived up to his potential in Cincinnati, and could benefit from a change of pace. This season, Jackson held opposing quarterbacks to an 86.4 passer rating when targeting him and intercepted a pass while garnering a 72.4 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus, so he’s hitting free agency at the right time. Might the Giants be able to pair two of the top cornerbacks available in consecutive offseasons in a new look secondary in 2021?
Chidobe Awuzie
Some of Awuzie’s best performances have come in zone schemes, which might make him an ideal fit for the Giants’ secondary. This season, Awuzie intercepted one pass in 37 targets but only allowed 25 completions. He might not break the bank, but he might be able to start on the outside for the Giants.
Troy Hill
Hill has the kind of versatility to play outside or in the slot, that seems to fit the profile of cornerbacks the Giants covet. This season, Hill intercepted two passes while garnering a 70.8 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus. Quarterbacks produced a meager 79.7 passer rating when targeting him, and he allowed just 47 catches in 84 targets. That kind of consistency is exactly what the Giants need to perhaps put the secondary over the top.
3. Offensive tackle
The Giants chose Andrew Thomas No. 4 overall in last April’s NFL Draft, but the Georgia standout was wildly inconsistent as a rookie.
Obviously, the Giants hope Thomas can develop into an anchor for the rebuilt offensive line at left tackle, but it remains to be seen if he can lock down the left tackle job in his second season.
Thomas allowed 56 total pressures, including nine sacks and eight quarterback hits this season.
Even after drafting Thomas and coming back to select Matt Peart in Round 3, out of UConn, the Giants might still need to add one bookend this offseason. It is always preferable to add offensive tackles in the draft rather than free agency, but there are some intriguing veterans who could be available this offseason.
Top free agent targets
Trent Williams
Williams returned to his All-Pro form, in his return to football with the San Francisco 49ers this season. The Niners have plenty of cap space, in excess of $26 million, to bring him back, and the Giants might be a bit gunshy from whiffing on Nate Solder in free agency two years ago. However, if the Giants can get past their history, they could do a lot worse than signing one of the game’s premier offensive tackles — with a 92.1 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, to protect Jones and open up running lanes for Saquon Barkley.
Taylor Motion
Motion is one of the more underrated offensive tackles in the league, and is coming off one of his most consistent seasons. What might make Motion an ideal fit for the Giants is that his natural position is right tackle, which would make him a natural bookend for Thomas. According to Pro Football Focus, Motion only allowed three sacks this season. He has plenty of upside at age 26. Motion’s 83.8 overall grade from PFF this season, would easily make him the Giants’ highest-graded lineman.
Russell Okung
Okung is one of the more stout pass-blocking offensive tackles in the NFL, and even at age 30, finished last season with a 73 overall grade and 80 pass blocking mark from Pro Football Focus. He only allowed three sacks and 13 pressures in 406 total snaps. That’s the kind of consistency the Giants desperately need in front of a young quarterback.
2. Pass rusher
The Giants’ defense became the team’s strength, particularly down the stretch, but it is glaringly evident that this unit desperately needs a dominant edge rush presence.
This season proved that it is flawed logic that a defense can effectively cobble together a pass rush by committee, or simply rely on pressure generated by the defensive line.
Getting Lorenzo Carter back and healthy will certainly give the Giants’ pass rush a boost in 2021, but Carter can only be part of the equation and still needs to prove he can take the next step in his development.
Here are the sacks generated by Giants’ linebackers this season: Blake Martinez (3), Tae Crowder (1), Kyler Fackrell (3), Carter Coughlin (1), Carter (1), Markus Golden (1.5). That’s just not going to get it done.
Top free agent targets:
Shaq Barrett
The Buccaneers have the cap space and the wherewithal to bring Barrett back, but if he shakes loose somehow, the Giants need to aggressively try to sign one of the most dominant pass rushers in the game. One year removed from producing 19.5 sacks, Barrett added eight more to his career total in 2020.
Jadeveon Clowney
The Giants had the chance to sign Clowney this spring, and passed, before Clowney inked a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans. While Clowney did not produce a sack this season, that was cut short by a season-ending knee injury back in November, he still has all of the physical traits to be an elite pass rusher.
Bud Dupree
Dupree developed into the centerpiece of the Steelers’ dominant pass rush and emerged as one of the most dangerous players at the position this season, before tearing his ACL against the Ravens last month. Prior to getting injured, Dupree produced nine sacks, 25 hurries, and 43 total pressures. If the Giants are able to pry him away from Pittsburgh, Dupree would immediately be the most gifted pass rusher on Patrick Graham’s defense.
1) Wide receiver
If this season exposed anything for the Giants’ offense, it is that it lacks truly game-altering talent and that hamstrung both the offense’s production and quarterback Daniel Jones’ development.
Darius Slayton, Sterling Shepard, and Golden Tate combined for just seven touchdown catches this season and only Slayton averaged more than 12 yards per reception with none surpassing 800 receiving yards.
The Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and others around the league have shown the value in surrounding your quarterback with as many playmakers at the skill positions as possible — rather than building from the offensive line outward.
There’s no Tyreek Hill or Stefon Diggs on the Giants’ roster, and that limits what coordinators are able to do in the vertical passing game.
If the Giants are going to make a true evaluation of Jones’ ceiling and put together an offense capable of pushing for a championship, adding a marquee wide receiver both in the draft and in free agency must be a top organizational priority this offseason.
Top free agent targets:
Allen Robinson
Robinson is one of the most prolific wide receivers of his era, catching 455 passes for 5,962 yards and 39 touchdowns in his seven-year career. This season, Robinson surpassed 100 receptions for the first time, while averaging 12.1 yards per reception and catching six touchdowns, despite the Bears’ inconsistent quarterback play from Nick Foles and Mitchell Trubisky. Robinson might be the most sought after receiver in a deep free agent class, but the Giants would be wise to have the 27-year-old atop their free agent wish list.
Chris Godwin
It’s unlikely that Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht lets Chris Godwin leave Tampa Bay, but if he becomes available, Godwin is the most gifted receiver available this offseason. Godwin, at just 24, has developed into one of the 10 most prolific and dangerous wide receivers in the sport. This season, Godwin has averaged 11.8 yards per catch during a campaign riddled by injuries, while hauling in 60 receptions for 707 yards and six touchdowns. If he hits the open market, Godwin needs to be the first call the Giants place during the legal tampering period.
T.Y. Hilton
Hilton has been a model of consistency throughout his nine-year career. At age 31, Hilton might wind up being more affordable than Robinson or Godwin, but, as his 13.9 yards per reception and four touchdown campaign show, he can still make a significant impact.
Corey Davis
Finally healthy, after battling nagging injuries the past two seasons, Corey Davis looked the part of a top-five draft choice throughout his most prolific season in 2020. Davis caught 60 passes for a career-high 945 yards and a career-high five touchdowns this season and looked every bit the part of a true No. 1 wide receiver, which the Giants so desperately need.
Will Fuller
Fuller saved his best season for his contract season. One of the league’s most prolific deep threats, Fuller averaged a career-high 16.6 yards per reception, while catching a career- high 53 passes for 879 yards and eight touchdowns before his season was cut short by a suspension for violating the NFL’s Performance Enhancing Drug Policy in Week 11. The Texans will likely do everything they can to bring him back, but Fuller might be an ideal fit for the Giants’ needs.
Matt Lombardo is the site expert for GMenHQ, and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday for FanSided. Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattLombardoNFL.