Joe Schoen has spent so much time looking for another defensive tackle this summer that somebody might want to make sure he’s checking the right aisle.
The New York Giants general manager hasn’t exactly hidden his desire to add some more beef to the defensive line. During the preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings, Schoen flat-out admitted the position group wasn't where he necessarily wanted it to be and told the NBC broadcast that Big Blue would continue looking for an upgrade.
“That’s gonna be a position that we continue to look for and see if we can’t upgrade,” the 47-year-old GM said.
That was almost three weeks ago. Apparently, he’s still searching. According to The Athletic’s Dan Duggan, Schoen indicated on Wednesday that the G-Men could add another defensive tackle to their practice squad before Week 1. And evidently, he wasn’t kidding.
Joe Schoen still has work to do on Giants’ defensive line (apparently)
New York worked out a group of eight players on Wednesday, including three defensive linemen: David Blay, Aaron Graves, and Benito Jones. Veteran defensive end Dawuane Smoot was also among the players brought in.
So, yeah. Schoen is still very much shopping.
It makes sense when you look at how drastically different New York’s defensive line is from last season.
D.J. Reader now headlines the front, following the blockbuster trade that sent Dexter Lawrence to Cincinnati. Shelby Harris and his 6-foot-2, 288-pound frame bring 11 years of experience next to him. New York also has Darius Alexander, Chauncey Golston, rookie Bobby Jamison-Travis, and recently acquired C.J. Okoye rounding out the group.
There are some interesting pieces in there. There are also enough question marks to explain why three defensive tackles were working out at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center on Wednesday.
The Giants already have Josh Tupou and Ben Barten sitting on the P-Squad, giving them two more space eaters behind the active roster. Adding another defensive tackle would give Schoen and Co. even more depth to work with, though it probably isn’t the kind of “upgrade” fans pictured when he first started talking about the position back in the preseason.
If we're being honest, the only way they're going to improve on the position now is through a trade. Bringing in another team's castoff isn't going to move the needle. Schoen knows that.
And that’s really where things stand right now.
The fifth-year GM made it pretty clear almost three weeks ago that he wanted to upgrade the defensive line. Well, roster cuts have come and gone. The G-Men passed on putting their No. 5 waiver priority to work to bring someone else in, and apparently, he’s still searching.
Maybe one of the guys they worked out sticks. Maybe Schoen is just looking to add another P-Squad player and the real answer is already on the 53-man roster. Either way, the search clearly isn’t over.
Can somebody please point this man toward the defensive tackle aisle?
Add us as a preferred source on Google