There is renewed hope in East Rutherford. With head coach John Harbaugh's arrival, there is an energy that the Giants could quickly ascend the divisional rankings and make a run for the NFC East title. Harbaugh has a reputation for getting the most out of his rosters. And the roster general manager Joe Schoen has put together for him, and in doing so apparently earned a contract extension, is the most expensive in the division.
That may come as a surprise to some. A quick perusal of Over The Cap shows they are just 14th in the NFL in active cash spending, but that shows just one perspective of how teams dedicate resources to their roster.
In an ongoing series on Substack, I take a look at total roster resource allocation across the NFL by division to see which teams are really investing in winning and which teams are trying to ball on a budget. This goes beyond cap hits, which are an accounting measure that can be manipulated, and cash, which generally looks at just investments in veterans.
My method considers draft investment as well, putting a dollar value on every draft pick investment that is still on a rookie deal.
Giants lead NFC East in total roster resources
With the methodology out of the way let's get to the headline. When adding in the considerable draft resources the Giants have amassed, they actually outspend every other team in their division based on my roster projections. They beat out Dallas by less than $8 million. And I'm sure it will come as a surprise to many, but they have outspent the Eagles by almost $12 million.
While their cash spending trails both those other teams, it is the draft pick capital where they make up the difference and then some. Jaxson Dart, Arvell Reese, Francis Mauigoa, Abdul Carter, and Malik Nabers are all first round picks still on rookie contracts. When accounting for their pick value they account for $165 million worth of resource investment. That will make up for a couple of extra veterans very quickly.
Where the Giants are spending resources
Look no further than the defensive line for where New York is investing. At $152.6 million, their spending in this area of their team is over $30 million higher than the next closest team in the division (the Cowboys), and the most I have found across five divisions so far.
Arvell Reese alone this year is a $55.4 million resource when factoring in both his draft slot and the large cash signing bonus he received. Alongside him, the G-Men are sinking over $25 million into Abdul Carter ($29.0 million) and Brian Burns ($25.6 million).
New York also tops the division in resources devoted to their secondary. At $103.1 million, they are about $7 million ahead of the next closest team (Cowboys) and over $40 million beyond the division laggard, the Commanders.
The most interesting part of their investment story is the offensive line. The Giants have dedicated more resources to this room than any other team in the NFC East. And yet it feels like they have the third or fourth best front of the bunch. But a strong draft investment in Francis Mauigoa, paired with Andrew Thomas and Jermaine Eluemanor's veteran deals, edges them out. Can the play match the investment this year? If so, New York will make some noise.
The two positions they are trailing the rest of the division are at quarterback, where they hope their late first-round investment in Jaxson Dart can turn into a franchise quarterback after a promising rookie season, and linebacker, where they top out at $20.2 million in investment, with Tremaine Edmunds accounting for almost 65% of the positional total.
The investment strategy is sound. Load up in the trenches and the back end of the defense with moderate spending everywhere else. Can Harbaugh make the return on the investment worthwhile? I think he can.
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