The new league year officially started not too long ago, and the NY Giants are already off to a hot start, making a multitude of moves to improve the roster. Not everything has been perfect, but Joe Schoen has been working overtime.
Whether it be a big-time trade or a value signing, Schoen has had a rather successful offseason compared to other general managers and he has shown yet again that he knows what he is doing. The way he has finessed the cap space in order to make so many moves is a breath of fresh air compared to the cap killer Dave Gettleman.
Regardless, Schoen has made more decisions than previously thought and it’s time to give some of these moves grades in order to show how successful or not this offseason has truly been:
6. Re-signing Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard: B
While some fans were split on what to do with Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard – with injuries and drops being an issue for the two – plenty of people are fired up to see that both will be back in 2023.
Shepard was brought back on a one-year, veteran minimum contract, meaning he’ll have a cap hit of $966,000. Considering the leadership and energy he brings to the team, alongside the potential production that could come once healthy, this could potentially be a steal. Even if Shepard doesn’t produce on the field and the Giants want to get rid of him, they very easily can thanks to this deal.
As for Slayton, he signed a two-year deal worth around $12 million. Slayton certainly has his problems, but he has been the Giants leading receiver for three of the last four seasons and is very good friends with QB Daniel Jones.
These two may not be elite talents, but they aren’t being paid as such. While it would have been nice to see a bigger splash in terms of free agent receiver signings, it’s nice to see these two back. Hopefully Shepard can remain healthy and Slayton can continue to cut down on his notorious crucial drop issues. If these two can make a major impact for the offense in ’23, Big Blue supporters would love to see it.