4 free agents the NY Giants should stay away from this summer

In what has been a busy offseason for Big Blue, training camp is almost here. However, there could be more moves on the way for NY Giants general managerJoe Schoen and the front office. What can fans expect?

Schoen has taken a hands-on approach with this team since his first day on the job, but has done so in an opportunistic fashion. Schoen knows when to strike while also showing a willingness to remain patient. With that being said, here are four free agents the Giants should stay away from this summer:

4. Running back Melvin Gordon

Saquon Barkley and the Giants seem to be at an impasse in their contract negotiations. So much so that the star running back hasn't ruled out the idea of sitting out the 2023 season. However, that hasn’t stopped Barkley from squatting ridiculous amounts of weight. He has a deadline of July 17 to reach a long-term agreement with the team or play the upcoming season under the franchise tag.

Last season, Barkley produced 1,650 yards from scrimmage, to go along with 10 touchdowns, on 352 combined touches. He was the true definition of a three-down, workhorse running back. He was the engine that drove the Giants' offense. Finding a player who is capable of coming in and stepping into that type of role this late in the offseason is a tall task if Barkley and the Giants can't come to terms by July 17.

Melvin Gordon, a former Pro Bowl running back, is available in free agency after a tumultuous season that started with the Broncos and ended with the Chiefs. With or without Barkley, the Giants would be wise to steer clear of Gordon. Gordon was in a nearly 50-50 timeshare with Javonte Williams in Denver before Williams suffered a torn ACL early in the season.

However, Gordon was not able to capitalize on the opportunity. The Broncos released him shortly thereafter and turned to NFL journeyman Latavius Murray and Chase Edmonds, who they just picked up from the Dolphins mid-season.

After his time with the Broncos ended in not-so-spectacular fashion, he signed a contract to join the Chiefs practice squad, where he won a Super Bowl ring without playing a single snap for the team. At 30 years of age, Gordon is coming off a season in which his rushing yards per attempt were the lowest it has been since he first entered the NFL in 2015. Gordon is on the back nine of his career and the Giants should allocate their finances elsewhere, regardless of Barkley's contract dispute with the team.

3. Safety/Linebacker Landon Collins

Landon Collins enjoyed what was arguably the peak of his career during his first stint with the Giants spanning from 2015-2018. However, Collins, the team, and the fans didn't particularly end on the best of notes when he chose to sign with the Commanders in 2019. As a result, it was interesting, to say the least when the Giants signed him in the middle of last season.

Collins was brought in to play a hybrid safety-linebacker role for defensive coordinator Wink Martindale to help patch up the middle of the Giants' defensive unit. In six games with the Giants this past season, Collins produced a mere 15 total tackles, a far cry from Collins' production earlier in his career. He recorded 100 or more tackles in four of his first five seasons (recording 96 in the one season he fell short). Not only was Collins failing to produce tackles at his usual rate, but he also missed tackles at the second-highest rate of his career (16.7 percent missed tackle rate).

If Collins can't make tackles the way he used to, he needs to be able to make up for it with his pass defense. He proved he is still capable of doing so in the Giants' Week 17 win over the Colts at the end of the 2022 season:

While it was nice to see Collins make an impact on the opposing team's passing game, it is something he has struggled with doing consistently throughout his career. Additionally, Collins has also struggled with staying on the field during his career. He has played in just 26 out of a possible 50 games over the past three years. The combination of durability concerns and Collins' best days being behind him makes him a player that the Giants need to stay away from this offseason.

2. Wide receiver Jarvis Landry

The Giants have significant questions regarding their wide receivers room that need to be addressed. However, the addition of Jarvis Landry would raise even more questions. In what has become a crowded wide receivers room, there is simply no room for Landry to fit in this offense.

Landry is at his best when he lines up in the slot and the Giants already have four other receivers who primarily catch passes from the slot (Wan’Dale Robinson, Parris Campbell, Sterling Shepard, and Jamison Crowder). If the Giants are going to add another receiver, it must be a bigger-bodied player who can play on the outside and make contested catches.

Since entering the NFL in 2014, Landry has been one of the most productive receivers in the league. He was a five-time Pro Bowler from 2015-2019 as a member of both the Dolphins and the Browns. However, at 30 years old, he has seen a steep decline in his receiving yardage output each of the past three seasons. In a Saints wide receiver room that left much to be desired behind Chris Olave, Jarvis Landry wasn’t even a full-time starter with the team last season. NY must pass here.

1. Pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney

A former No. 1 overall pick, Jadeveon Clowney has not been able to live up to the lofty expectations everyone had for his career after he went viral for a tackle he made in the Outback Bowl.

It has certainly been tough sledding for Clowney since being selected by the Texans in 2014. In 2014, he was only able to play in four games due to a torn meniscus. Since then, staying healthy has been an uphill battle for Clowney throughout his career. He has only played one full season in his nine-year career.

Looking back, 2016-2018 was the healthiest stretch of Clowney’s career and he has three Pro Bowl appearances to show for those three years. He showed that when healthy, he was a capable player who was worthy of being taken with the first overall pick of an NFL Draft. The issue is, that has been more of an outlier than the norm.

Clowney has played for three different teams in the last four seasons. He has recorded three sacks or less in three of those four seasons. In the one season he exceeded three sacks, he was playing alongside arguably the best pass-rusher in the NFL in Myles Garrett, which made Clowney’s life much easier. The Giants need pass-rush depth, but Clowney isn't the answer.

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