The New York Giants are just outside of the top five NFL teams with the most salary cap space. Big Blue came in at sixth with $42,857,206 in cap space for the 2016 free agency. This is how the Giants should address some of the gaping holes on their roster.
By Athony Sciarratta
New York Giants General manager Jerry Reese and head coach Ben McAdoo should really focus their attention on the defensive side of the ball this offseason.
If quarterback Eli Manning is serious when he says the Giants are “one step away” from being contenders, then defense needs to be the number one priority when it comes to free agency.
First off, Safety Landon Collins needs an All-Pro playing beside him in the secondary.
Both Eric Weddle and Eric Berry are the two big names on the market at the safety position; both of whom would drastically upgrade New York’s secondary.
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Pairing either one of them with Collins, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Prince Amukamara (if re-signed) would give New York one of the more formidable units in football.
They could also opt to pour all their resources into one top player, such as pass-rusher Von Miller. The Giants’ linebacking play has been awful for the past four years now. They need a leader who can be a key cog in the defense. Miller could be that guy.
This scenario seems a little far fetched because the Giants are very practical and wouldn’t give Miller the money he is looking for. Plus, Denver has already said they would place the franchise tag on the young pass-rusher, with the the thought-in-mind to extend his contract.
The likelier option would be New York Jets defensive lineman, Muhammad Wilkerson.
Their is a strong possibility of defensive end Jason-Pierre Paul not getting re-signed. The Giants may feel that he can’t ever preform on the same level that he did back in the 2011 Super Bowl winning season. It’s been up and down for years ever since then. If this scenario pans out, the Giants’ pass rush is going to look even more depleted heading into 2016.
The best route for the Giants to go would be to sign Pierre-Paul for cheap due to his hand injury, and sign Wilkerson anyway. This would instantaneously make the Giants front line pretty fearsome.
Imagine a defensive line with Wilkerson, Pierre-Paul, and Johnathan Hankins?
Reese could also choose not to address the defense in free agency and add to his already thriving offense.
In this scenario, Matt Forte and Alshon Jeffery are names to keep in mind. The Giants running backs are very poor and Victor Cruz may never be the same. The Giants clearly have a reason to move on to a new player at either position.
The only thing we know for sure is that the Giants are going to spend. The question is: where?
