Where are New York Giants better, worse after free agency?
Edge rusher
Key loss: Lorenzo Carter
Key addition: Jihad Ward
Lorenzo Carter never quite lived up to his billing as a third-round pick, and a strong argument can be made that both Azeez Ojulari and Quincy Roche offer more upside than the former Georgia bulldog.
But, Carter’s departure all but assures that the New York Giants will use one of their two first-round picks on one of the premier edge rushers in this year’s class.
Carter was a homegrown talent who played some of the best snaps of his career over the final four games of last season, but will be playing his next one elsewhere, in Atlanta.
Ward is a rotational player, who produced two sacks last season, and will see snaps on passing downs at defensive end. He’s exactly the type of cost-efficient signing the Giants should be making, but don’t expect him to have Lawrence Taylor-like or even Carter-like production in 2022.