New York Giants: Five Free Agents They Should Pursue

01/22/2016

On the heels of a disappointing 2015 season, the New York Giants are faced with the daunting prospect of rebuilding a football team.

By Skylar Darel

On the heels of a disappointing 2015 season, the New York Giants are faced with the daunting prospect of rebuilding a football team that has gone 12-20 over the past two seasons.

The good news?

The Giants and general manager Jerry Reese are equipped with $40-50 million in cap space, giving Big Blue some flexibility with personnel upgrades.

Here are five free agents the Giants should consider.

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Eric Weddle, Safety: Landon Collins showed tremendous promise at strong safety, recording over 100 tackles and earning a place on the Pro Football Writers Association’s Rookie Team of the Season.

However the free safety position was a mess and was held down by underachieving young players and older players who should have been retired.

Enter Eric Weddle who according to ESPN, is the only safety in the NFL to be named a first or second team All-Pro in five straight seasons from 2010-2014.

With the uncertainty in San Diego and the front offices refusal to renew his contract, Weddle went on record with ESPN reporter Eric Williams and had this to say about San Diego’s front office:

“Probably will never speak to them again…”

Weddle’s only down side is his age– he’s on the wrong side of 30– but his production speaks for itself. He would be a fabulous addition to the Giants secondary, even if only for two to three seasons.

9 seasons. 3 Pro Bowls.

0 chance Eric Weddle stays w/ #Chargers, he says.

Full story:https://t.co/WSEI2dVC19 pic.twitter.com/UlnCeXiyqr

— Pro Football Rumors (@pfrumors) January 7, 2016

Alshon Jeffrey, Wide Receiver: Rueben Randle will likely leave the team in free agency and with Victor Cruz‘ status up in the air, the Giants are in the market for a wide receiver.

They could opt to upgrade the position through the draft but Alshon Jeffrey represents a fabulous compliment for Odell Beckham. In the Giants West Coast passing offense, Beckham thrives in the flat using his expert route-running ability and breakaway speed to get huge chunks of yardage.

Jeffrey is a fabulous deep ball receiver– he was fourth in the NFL in receiving yards per game this season– and could act as the yin to Odell’s yang next season. Throw Dwyane Harris in the slot and you have a very strong first three options at wide receiver.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgcUz2U_RDA

Cordy Glenn, Offensive Tackle: This one isn’t entirely necessary but still would act as a massive upgrade.

Ereck Flowers was solid at left tackle but he might be better served moving to the right to develop instead of being thrown into the fire like he was this season.

Cordy Glenn is a legitimate franchise left tackle, and at age 26, could be the missing piece on a solid Giant offensive line. By the time his deal runs out, Flowers would be around 25 and would be able to take the reigns at left tackle stronger than ever.

6. Cordy Glenn. He's still getting better, only 26, and he's been a top 5 LT this year. https://t.co/w9kyjwT1EF

— Joe Buscaglia (@JoeBuscaglia) January 4, 2016

Danny Trevathan, Linebacker: Linebacker has been an achilles heel for the Giants ever since Antonio Pierce retired.

Trevathan is a three-down linebacker who is solid in pass coverage and has playoff experience in Denver. The market for linebackers could suggest that he’ll be overpaid, but he fills a need while being a proven NFL commodity.

Out of all the potential free agents this move seems the most likely, especially since Denver will be throwing the big bucks towards pass rushing superstar Von Miller.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsG-A8LdnwE

Olivier Vernon, Defensive End: This one makes a ton of sense.

Vernon is, outside of Miller, the best pass rusher on the open market and could fill the void left by Jason Pierre-Paul.

He was brilliant opposite Cameron Wake for Miami and could fit in well with New York. Vernon, Robert Ayers, Jonathan Hankins, and maybe a blue-chip first round draft pick have the makings of a beefy defensive line that could bring back the most fundamental aspect of a Giants defense– the pass rush.