Dave Gettleman arrived as NY Giants general manager, vowing to rebuild the team along both lines of scrimmage and led by a power running attack, but success hasn’t followed
Dave Gettleman became the NY Giants GM in December of 2017, joining a team that was coming fresh off a 3-13 season, with an aging Eli Manning at QB, a disgruntled, but still amazing receiver in Odell Beckham, and a somewhat aging defense.
Gettleman had a lot of moves to make in order to turn this team around.
Let’s just say it hasn’t all worked out.
Since being hired by the Giants, Gettleman has a record of 18-38, and has made many questionable trades and signings that haven’t exactly moved the NY Giants any closer to competing.
Here are the grades for some of Dave Gettleman’s signings and trades since he became the NY Giants GM:
Leonard Williams trade + extension: A
After a 2-6 start to the 2019 season, Gettleman pulled off a big trade to help bolster the Giants pass rush. In this move he sent a 2020 3rd round pick and a conditional 2021 4th round pick to the Jets in return for pro bowl pass rusher Leonard Williams.
With the 2020 third-round pick the Jets took DB Ashtyn Davis, who has looked decent to start his career, and with the 2021 conditional 4th round pick that turned into a 5th rounder, the Jets selected Michael Carter II. Carter has looked very solid for the Jets so far.
Williams had a bit of a down season in 2019, only tallying 46 combined tackles, half a sack, and 2 tackles for loss in 15 games. However, Gettleman saw his upside and made the deal.
In Williams’ first full season with the NY Giants he did not disappoint.
Williams had quite possibly the best year of his career, tallying 57 combined tackles, 11.5 sacks, and 14 tackles for loss. This was a contract year, however, so the NY Giants and Gettleman needed to come up with a decision on what to do with Williams.
Gettleman originally franchise tagged Williams in March of 2021. However, after about a week of further negotiations , the NY Giants and Williams agreed upon a 3 year $63M extension with $45M guaranteed. That’s a lot of money.
Williams has somewhat struggled in the pass rush so far this year, only tallying a sack and a half and 4 QB hits through 5 games. However, in a week 6 blowout against the Rams he had his best pass rushing game all season, tallying a sack and a half and 2 QB hits.
An area in which Williams is having a career best year in is run stopping. Williams has 33 combined tackles and 3 tackles for loss through 6 games and has looked fantastic in that aspect.
I’m giving this trade/extension and A because Gettleman addressed the Giants need for a pass rusher by sending two low value picks in return for an elite run stopper and top tier pass rusher in Leonard Williams. This is one of Gettlman’s better moves since becoming the NY Giants GM.
Nate Solder Contract: F-
In 2018 the NY Giants were in desperate need for an offensive tackle.
New York decided to go with veteran Nate Solder, signing him to a 4 year $62M deal. Making him the highest paid offensive lineman in the NFL. The decision to sign Solder came less than a day after Andrew Norwell turned down Gettleman’s overtures, opting instead to sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Solder had a solid debut on the Giants, surrendering 2 or less pressures in 10 games with the most pressures he allowed in a game being 5. While he gave up 7 sacks, which is not ideal, you take what you can get.
However, things very quickly went downhill for Solder and the NY Giants. in 2019 Solder looked just plain awful, surrendering a career high 11 sacks and 56 pressures. He quickly became the target of a lot of hate from Giants fans due to him not living up to his contract.
With Solder opting out of playing in the 2020 season it seemed as if he would come back better than ever after a year of relaxation and time to regather his strength. Boy was that not the case.
Solder is having undoubtedly the worst year of his career thus far.
Surrendering 21 pressures, which is fifth-highest in the league among tackles. While also giving up three sacks, which is 10th highest among tackles.
There are several moments during games in which Solder just looks lost, or like he doesn’t know what he is doing.
Solder currently has one of, if not the worst contracts in the entire NFL. The contract is abysmal. Even at the time of the signing, the money the NY Giants invested in Solder was questionable, especially given his age.
James Bradberry signing: A-
When Gettleman signed Bradberry to a three-year $45M deal in March of 2020, it was the kind of move that can reshape a defense.
The NY Giants needed help in the secondary, and at the time Bradberry was a very solid corner.
Turns out, Bradberry’s deal would look even better today than it did at the time, because in the 2020 season Bradberry had his best season. Bradberry posted career highs in most stats, while also making a pro bowl.
Bradberry anchored a top 10 Giants defense in 2020 and at the time the contract looked like a steal.
However, he has been off to a very slow start to the season this year which is why I did not give this signing an A+.
With defensive coordinator Patrick Graham running a sort of zone that relies on the defensive backs being far off of their man to seemingly not allow big plays.
If Bradberry continues to decline, his contract will go from one of the best in the NFL, to one of the worst. However, his contract expires at the end of next season, so even if his play does not improve it’s not as if he is stuck under contract for multiple years to come.
Kevin Zeitler trade/ release: D+
The NY Giants acquired Kevin Zeitler from a trade with the Browns in a 2019 trade in which the Giants sent Olivier Vernon and a 4th round pick in exchange for Zeitler and a 5th round pick.
Kevin Zeitler had a very solid two seasons for the NY Giants, only giving up five sacks in two years.
However, with money becoming tight, Gettleman decided to release Zeitler to free up cap space. While it was not a necessary move, it freed up cap space for moves like the Bradberry signing.
Acquiring Zeitler is a move that, when graded in a vacuum, is probably an “A”. The Giants traded a player that was not living up to their contract in exchange for a team need.
However, with the recent continuation of struggles from the offensive line, alongside Zeitler continuing to play great. It seems as if releasing him was the wrong move.
overall, this series of moves involving Zeitler is a D+, the only reason it’s not an F is because it allowed the NY Giants to sign key players to the current roster.
Markus Golden trade: F
This is a move that needs to be talked about more among Giants fans.
The NY Giants originally signed Markus Golden to a one-year deal in March of 2019. During his first year on the team he played 83% of snaps and tallied 72 combined tackles and 10 sacks.
During the 2019 off season the Giants re-signed Golden to another one-year deal.
However, in 2020, the Giants decided to cut Golden’s snap count significantly. Reducing him to only 36% of snaps. The NY Giants then decided to send him to the Cardinals in exchange for a 2021 6th round pick.
During Golden’s final 9 games for the Cardinals he played 70% of snaps and tallied 23 combined tackles and 3 sacks.
Throughout six games this season Golden has played in 68% of snaps for the Cardinals. In these snaps he has tallied 16 combined tackles, 4 sacks, and a league high 3 forced fumbles.
When you consider how awful the Giants’ pass rush has been this year, this move looks terrible. Even at the time I did not understand the move.
Golden’s production for Arizona, and the NY Giants’ misuse of him in his second season in New York mean this move shouldn’t deserve anything higher than an “F”.
Gettleman surrendered a team need for little to nothing in return.
Logan Ryan signing: A-
The NY Giants signed Logan Ryan to a one-year contract in August of 2020.
Coming off of a season in which Ryan tallied over 100 tackles and 4 interceptions, it seemed like a perfect move. So far, it kind of has been.
In Logan Ryan’s first season with the NY Giants he tallied 94 tackles, 1 interception, 3 forced fumbles, and 1 sack. it looked as if Gettleman got himself a steal in Ryan.
During last off-season Gettleman re-signed Logan Ryan to a 3 year $31M contract. It looked as if his usual great play was going to continue and he would help lead the NY Giants defense.
However, like Bradberry, Ryan has struggled mightily this year.
This could be due in large part to Patrick Graham’s poor defensive system. However, there have been multiple moments this year in which Ryan has simply looked lost defensively.
Ryan is still the tackling machine he always has been, tallying 50 combined tackles in 6 games, however he has looked atrocious in coverage. Putting up career highs in completion percentage with 78.9%, passer rating allowed with 106.8, and yards per completion with 12.2.
The only reason this move is not an A+ is because of Ryan’s poor play this year. This, alongside the Bradberry signing, has been some of Gettlemans best work.
Odell Beckham Jr. Trade: C-
This is without a doubt Gettleman’s biggest move during his tenure as the NY Giants GM.
After a 2018 season riddled with controversies both on and off the field the Giants finally decided to trade star receiver Odell Beckham Jr in March of 2019.
With the NY Giants receiving Jabrill Peppers, a 2019 first-round pick (Dexter Lawrence) and a 2019 third-round pick (Oshane Ximines) in return for Beckham. It seemed as if the Giants made out. They improved on a struggling defense while getting rid of a massive salary for a player whose off the field issues they no longer wanted to deal with.
This has been one of the rare occasions in sports where the trade seemingly worked out for neither team.
In Beckham’s first season with the Browns he played all 16 games and tallied 74 receptions for 1,035 yards and 4TD’s.
However, this would be the last time Beckham would look close to his prime. In 2020 Beckham only played 7 games due to a torn ACL. In these 7 games Beckham tallied 23 receptions for 319 yards and 3 TD’s. This was not the Beckham people were used to seeing. During this season Beckham set new career lows for catch percentage at 53.5%, yards per game with 45.6, and receptions per game with 3.3.
So far Beckham has played five games this season. Beckham currently has 16 receptions for 226 yards and 0 TD’s.
This is clearly not the Beckham of old as he also boasts new career lows with a 48.5 catch percentage, yards per game with 45.2, and yards per target in 6.8. A sad decline for a once exciting star.
However, even with Beckham’s decline, it is not as if the Giants are clear winners in this trade.
Peppers, like Logan Ryan, is a tackling machine. Tallying 76 combined tackles in 11 games in 2019. Alongside 91 combined tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 1 interception in 2020.
However, Pepper struggled mightily in coverage, especially this season. Throughout 6 games this season, Peppers has allowed career highs in almost every defensive stat. Allowing a 90.9% completion percentage, a 124.6 passer rating when targeted, and has already allowed 226 passing yards.
With it seeming more and more likely that Peppers will be traded before the upcoming deadline, one of the biggest pieces of this trade has not worked out.
In this trade the NY Giants received the 17th overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft. With that pick they selected defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence out of Clemson.
Lawrence has had a very solid career thus far with the Giants. Tallying 38 combined tackles, 2.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 15 QB pressures during his rookie year. In 2020 he improved, putting up 53 combined tackles, 4 sacks, 10 QB hits, and 16 QB pressures.
Dexter Lawrence has had a bit of a slow start to the 2021 season. Only tallying 4 combined tackles throughout the first 3 weeks. However, since week 4 he has put up 16 combined tackles and half a sack. Including a career high 7 combined tackles in week 6 against the Rams.
With the third-round pick the Giants received they selected linebacker Oshane Ximines out of Old Dominion. Ximines looked some what solid in his rookie year, where in 45% of snaps he tallied 25 combined tackles and 4.5 sacks.
However, his production would quickly begin to decline. With Ximines suffering a torn rotator cuff in November of 2020 his sophomore season was cut short
Now in 2021 Ximines has become a non-factor. only playing 36% of snaps and tallying 11 combined tackles in 6 games.
With 2 out of the 3 players the NY Giants received in this trade becoming disappointments, it is hard to give Gettleman anything higher than a C-.