NY Giants: Why free agency already rousing success
The NY Giants entered the offseason in desperate need of significantly bolstering the talent-level at three key positions of need, and after the first week of free agency have largely accomplished that feat.
Despite entering the new league year with limited cap space, the NY Giants managed to sign defensive lineman Leonard Williams to a long-term extension, following the most productive season of the former first-round pick’s career, bag the premier wide receiver available; Kenny Golladay, and added an instant upgrade at outside cornerback opposite James Bradberry in Adoree’ Jackson.
Additionally, GM Dave Gettleman and the NY Giants targeted value signings such as wide receiver John Ross and veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph, adding a reliable red-zone weapon to quarterback Daniel Jones’ supporting cast.
This approach of targeting both veteran value players at key needs as well as plugging glaring voids with the best players available in the open-market drew high praise from Pro Football Focus:
"NEW YORK GIANTS: THEY CROSSED OFF ITEMS NO. 1 AND 2 ON THEIR FREE AGENCY TO-DO LISTIf I had to guess, I would say the Giants’ top two priorities this offseason were to add a No. 1 wide receiver and get a long-term extension done with Williams. They accomplished both of those in the past week, even if they paid a premium to do so. Williams has been just about as consistent as they come over the course of his six-year career, grading between 70.6 and 81.4 every season. He has also reliably performed better as a run defender than a pass rusher — including this past year, when he posted career-highs in pressures and sacks. Now he’s tied for the second-highest paid interior defensive linemen in the NFL with DeForest Buckner at $21 million per year. Only Aaron Donald($22.5 million) has a higher average annual value per year. Meanwhile, Kenny Golladay gives New York the kind of alpha wide receiver the team lacked last season. Even with the missed time in 2020, Golladay ranks among the top five receivers in the league in receiving yards on passes 20-plus yards downfield (1,072) and contested catches (53) over the past three seasons."
In a division that saw the Dallas Cowboys retain quarterback Dak Prescott, and the Washington Football Team get markedly better by signing veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and wide receiver Curtis Samuel, it remains to be seen if the NY Giants can compete for an NFC East crown in 2021.
However, even before the forthcoming additions in the 2021 NFL Draft, there is little doubt that Jones’ supporting cast dramatically improved, and this will likely be a better football team in 2021. If the Giants’ investments around Jones elevate the quarterback’s development this season, they have the chance to fast-track the rebuild and accelerate the timeline to legitimately compete for a playoff spot, or more.
Matt Lombardo is the site expert for GMenHQ, and writes Between the Hashmarks each Wednesday for FanSided. Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattLombardoNFL.