The last two weeks have been nothing short of what every New York Giants fan had hoped for after hiring John Harbaugh as the franchise's next head coach. After 18 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, Harbaugh comes to the G-Men, bringing a new culture that the team has lacked for several years, along with many other qualities that have made him a successful coach.
One of Harbaugh’s greatest strengths is that he is an excellent recruiter. He is known for assembling a talented coaching staff, recruiting players via free agency or the NFL Draft, and getting everyone to buy into his vision and embrace it. Harbaugh is the kind of coach players respect and want to play for, and Big Blue fans can expect him to recruit players who want to play for him in New York.
The area where his recruiting will be put to the best use is in free agency, where the G-Men have several players set to hit the open market this offseason, who may be persuaded to come back to New York now that Harbaugh is in town.
John Harbaugh could be all Wan'Dale Robinson needs to stay in New York
Moe Moton of Bleacher Report recently named the eight under-the-radar players who could sign big extensions this upcoming free agency, and you guessed it, Giants’ veteran wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson was on the list.
With star wide receiver Malik Nabers out for the season after an ACL tear during Big Blue’s Week 4 victory over the Chargers, Robinson stepped up as the team’s primary receiver. The 25-year-old took over the WR1 role and quickly developed a strong rapport with rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Wan'Dale hauled in 92 passes on 140 targets for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns in 16 games this past season. After a breakout year, Robinson is expected to draw interest from several teams during free agency, and you have to imagine the Giants would welcome him back with open arms.
Wan’Dale had a productive season with Nabers sidelined, so if the Giants’ star receiver makes a full recovery, he will likely have a drop-off in production next year. However, it’s not guaranteed that Nabers will be ready for the start of next season, and even if he does come back, he may not perform at the same level he did before he got hurt.
The Giants have about $1.8 million in cap space this offseason, and while they’d love to bring back many players, there will be several roster changes under Harbaugh. However, if there’s one player that Big Blue should focus on retaining, it’s Robinson, who would be an excellent WR2 or WR3 opposite Nabers and potentially a top receiver prospect they draft.