With NY Giants minicamp having wrapped up on Wednesday, this squad will now get a break, but there's plenty of work to do before training camp arrives. Joe Schoen has already been incredibly busy in recent months, but now is not the time to slow down.
Schoen's made some incredible moves in order to improve the Giants' roster this offseason. Despite that, there's still a long list of things to get done. In this piece, we take a look at four priorities in particular for Schoen to focus on:
4. Inquire about other team's top receivers
One of the biggest holes on the Giants really ever since they traded away Odell Beckham Jr. is the team's lack of a dominant WR1. While they've had some solid pass-catchers fill this role and do decently, it hasn't been enough to propel the Giants' offense to a top core in the league.
However, this offseason, it seems as if the Giants could find their guy through the trade market. While nothing is guaranteed, Schoen should absolutely be picking up the phone in order to try and acquire a big-time receiver. Names like Davante Adams, Stefon Diggs, and others all very well could be traded for prior to the start of the season.
Alongside this, even if they don't trade for someone, DeAndre Hopkins is still available as a free agent. While his price tag may be too much to sign, there's still a chance for Schoen to bring the All-Pro receiver in on a team-friendly deal.
It won't be cheap, but if Schoen manages to bring in a genuine top talent at WR, it could be enough to push the Giants into Super Bowl contention. They already made a good push into the playoffs last season, so adding someone like Adams or Diggs alongside the acquisitions Schoen has already made could just be enough.
3. Potentially restructuring the contract of Leonard Williams
If the Giants and Schoen wish to add a top talent at WR through the trade market or free agency, they will need to free up some cap space. The best way for the team to currently do that is by restructuring Leonard Williams' contract.
Currently, Williams has a cap hit of $32.2 million with one year left on his deal. Whether the Giants opt to extend him, or push the cap hit back into next season, Schoen might want to get this done if he wants to make improvements soon. The best likely idea would be to extend Williams. He is an important piece to the Giants' defense and losing him would hurt the team's already poor run defense.
What Schoen decides to do all depends on how patient he wishes to be in the next couple of seasons. If he wishes for the Giants to make a jump into contention this season, then a restructured contract for Williams is likely. However, if he wants to let the team develop through the draft and smaller moves, then an extension will likely wait until the end of the season.
It would be nice to see Schoen swing big this season. However, we totally understand if he wishes to be patient. The team is technically still rebuilding and rushing this process could do more harm than good if things don't go as planned.
2. Add some pass-rushing depth
This offseason, Schoen did an incredible job at adding several run-stoppers in order to solve one of the defense's biggest problems. However, something he hasn't really addressed so far is the team's lack of pass-rushing depth. While they have some great pass-rushers in the form of Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari, and Dexter Lawrence, that's just about it.
Aside from those three, the rest of the team's pass-rushers are unproven young players. However, when taking a look at the current free agent market, you begin to notice that there are still some very solid pass-rushers available. Guys like Yannick Ngakoue, Justin Houston and Jadeveon Clowney are all still unsigned and would make a big difference for the Giants' pass-rushing core.
Last season, the Giants ranked 13th in sacks and eighth in total pressures. Considering that the team's best pass-rushers were Thibodeaux (a rookie) and Lawrence, adding depth could push this core into the top five in each of these stats. This core will only get better with age, but adding veterans to minimize wear and tear throughout the season will go a long way.
Even if Schoen doesn't want to give a good amount of money in order to bring in the previously mentioned pass-rushers, there are still plenty of options for the team to sign on a cheap deal. Regardless, this is something Schoen needs to prioritize before the season starts.
1. Finding a solution to the Saquon Barkley situation
One of the biggest storylines the NFL has seen this offseason has been the potential Saquon Barkley extension and whether or not the Giants will pay him big-time money. While Schoen has been hesitant to offer Barkley the massive contract he wants, something needs to be done before the season starts.
Not only would it simply not be right to refuse paying Barkley long term, but he has also threatened to sit out the entire 2023 season until he is paid. However, in recent days, it seems like everything could be going back to normal. According to Ian Rapoport, the Giants reportedly offered Barkley a contract they originally rejected.
Is this the solution to the contract saga? Who knows. However, this is the best news we've heard thus far about Barkley potentially returning long term. Despite this, if things go south again, Schoen must have a plan for what to do if they can't reach an agreement with the two-time Pro Bowler.
If Barkley sits out, going into next season with a running back core of Matt Breida, Eric Gray, and Gary Brightwell wouldn't be ideal. However, Schoen knows this and will likely do anything he can to keep Barkley around for the foreseeable future.
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