4 moves the NY Giants can make thanks to Darren Waller's salary cap gift
The NY Giants gave tight end Darren Waller all the time he needed to decide on the future of his playing career. Waller decided his time in the NFL had come to an end, and the 31-year-old TE decided to hang his cleats up after nine seasons. Giants general manager Joe Schoen took a shot trading for the pass-catcher last offseason giving up a third-round pick in this year's draft.
With Waller deciding to retire when he did, the Giants gained $11.6 million in cap space. It has been known for some time now Schoen has been trying to sign some veterans to the secondary all offseason, but things haven't been easy. Now, with the retirement of Waller, Schoen has the money to potentially make something happen. Here's a look at four moves now in play with the extra cap space:
4. Sign a veteran for the secondary
The Giants and Schoen have had issues going after defensive backs. They attempted to sign Darious Williams and Tre'Davious White, both who went to the Rams. They also attempted to sign veteran corner Steven Nelson, who just retired. The Giants did sign veteran Tre Herndon, but this isn't a splash move.
At corner, they have Deonte Banks starting outside on one side, rookie corner Andru Phillips seems all but set as the slot corner, and the CB2 job has been a tossup between Cor'Dale Flott, Tre Hawkins, and Nick McCloud. Hawkins flashed during preseason last year, but quickly showed he wasn't ready when the regular season hit. Flott and McCloud flashed multiple times last year, but needed to show consistency.
If they want to target the corner market, Stephon Gilmore, while an older corner at 33, can still come in and compete for a spot. He could be a mentor to some of the younger guys in the secondary. Gilmore would help defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson and new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen tremendously.
Another player that is a bit of a surprise with the lack of market is former Buffalo Bills safety Micah Hyde. Hyde can play both safety positions and can also come down and be a sub-package linebacker who can play down around the line and make tackles. He was linked to the Giants early on in the process because of his ties to Schoen via their time in Buffalo. The Giants have multiple options they can go in the secondary.