The NY Giants are ready to make a splash this offseason in the NFL Draft and free agency. General manager Joe Schoen has more than $40 million in cap space to work with, and that number is going to grow in the near future. It will allow for him to target some playmakers on both sides of the ball.
One of the biggest issues the Giants dealt with this past season was how poor their talent was at the linebacker position. In no world should Jarrad Davis and Jaylon Smith be starting for this squad moving forward.
This offseason has a free agent market chock full of talent at linebacker, leaving the Giants with little-to-no excuses to finally make a genuine improvement at the position. These five players should definitely be players to consider for Schoen and the front office:
5. LB Landon Collins
While he was a late arrival in 2022, Landon Collins did do a pretty darn good job at linebacker when he was given the opportunity. Should he be a full-time starter? Absolutely not, however, Collins could serve as a nice depth piece for next year.
Collins may not be the All-Pro playmaker he once was, but ever since making the switch to linebacker, he has seen a good amount of improvement in his play. In the six games he played with the Giants in ’22, Collins played a total of 160 snaps, racking up 14 combined tackles, eight stops, one sack, and one pick-six he got against the Colts to help send Big Blue to the playoffs.
He certainly wasn’t perfect, but Collins got the job done more often than not and could do so in a limited role next season if he is needed. Honestly, regardless of who the Giants sign or don’t sign, they should for sure bring Collins in as a depth piece.
Not to mention, Collins has ties to the players, organization, and fans, and after seeing the crowd reaction to his touchdown against the Colts, we’re sure that folks would love to see the 29 year old back in blue. Schoen must find a way to make it happen.