With the NFL season at its midway point, we have begun to really see how some of the moves made by new general manager Joe Schoen has panned out. This was a tremendous offseason for Schoen, as not only did he address many of the positional needs of the NY Giants, but he did it with little-to-no cap space. In addition to this, Schoen has also done a great job at acquiring future draft picks.
Not every decision has been perfect, but considering the circumstances, we think there are no doubts that Schoen did a tremendous job at building a team that is not only ready to succeed now, but in the future as well. Here’s a look at the five best calls the GM has made thus far whil leading Big Blue:
5. Keeping Dexter Lawrence in Big Blue
Prior to this season, Dexter Lawrence was always one of the most solid players on the NY Giants defensive line, however, he was not yet at a star level. With that in mind, Schoen had the difficult decision on whether or not to pick up the fifth-year option on Lawrence in an attempt to lock him down for the future.
Schoen made the right move and decided to accept this option to keep Lawrence, keeping the 24-year-old standout around for the 2023 season and potentially longer if Schoen decides to sign him to an extension.
Halfway through the season, Schoen looks like a genius, as not only do we have Lawrence for a guaranteed extra season, but Lawrence is also in the midst of his best year yet. Through eight games, Lawrence has racked up 28 combined tackles, four sacks, three tackles for loss, 11 QB hits, and one forced fumble. Lawrence has looked like one of the best defensive linemen in the entire NFL thus far.
Schoen also faced a similar scenario with QB Daniel Jones, however, this move was obvious as in no world was Jones deserving of $25 million prior to this season. This was one of the earliest moves that Schoen had to make during his tenure as Giants GM, and so far, it has really panned out, making for quite the great way to start your career with a new team. Sexy Dexy has been a boss.