Sometimes, a team signs a free agent in the offseason, and it's a swing and a miss. Other times, it's a literal swing, with a hit, as is the case for New York Giants swing tackle James Hudson III, who literally smacked Cowboys pass-rusher James Houston in the head earlier in the season.
The 26-year-old was flagged for a personal foul call that will likely turn out to be the beginning of the end of his tenure in East Rutherford.
General manager Joe Schoen signed the former Cleveland Brown to a two-year, $12 million deal early in the offseason to add some much-needed depth to an offensive line that was devoid of reliable depth on the outside. Star left tackle Andrew Thomas suffered a season-ending injury in Week 6.
Meanwhile, 2022 seventh-overall pick right tackle Evan Neal didn't start playing until Week 10, but he was only on the field because they were too thin up front and were desperate for help. Thomas had been back and looking like his usual self until a hamstring hiccup in Week 16 muddied things up again. As for Neal, he’s as good as gone once the offseason rolls around. And fans shouldn’t expect James Hudson to be far behind.
Giants swing tackle James Hudson punching his ticket out of New York
It's easy to poke fun at Hudson for his four penalties in six snaps in his second game as a Giant -- filling in for Thomas, no less -- but that performance probably sealed his fate.
It was so much more than just the penalties. Then-head coach Brian Daboll benched him for rookie fifth-round pick Marcus Mbow, leading to a sideline blow-up with Daboll, and the five-year veteran hasn't taken another snap across the offensive line since.
He’s appeared only on special teams for extra point attempts and field goals. That’s it.
Not only does it make sense to part ways with the 2021 fourth-rounder from a playing standpoint, but his contract practically begs him to be a cut candidate. He has one year left on the deal. The G-Men would eat $2.3 million in dead cap, but get $5.5 million in cap savings.
Replacing a guy who can't see the field should be relatively easy -- even for Schoen. If the season were to end today, the Giants would have the No. 1 overall pick and could look to trade back to add multiple assets around rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart... like maybe adding a new offensive tackle.
Schoen thought he was getting a reliable swing tackle to help make up for last season's lack of depth, but he whiffed. Now, it's time to acknowledge his mistake and make up for it this offseason, with the Giants moving on, and Hudson finding a new home somewhere else.