With the 2016 season officially coming to an end, it’s time to look ahead towards the New York Giants’ offseason.
Despite a very impressive regular season, the New York Giants were thrashed, 38-13, by the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card Round, and are now eliminated from the playoffs.Now, the Giants must look forward to the offseason, whether it be free agency or the draft. Here is a position-by-position look at how the Giants should improve this offseason.
Quarterback:
Despite an underwhelming season from Eli Manning, he is still the Giants starter going forward. Manning was often victimized by the poor performance of his offensive line, as well as some timely drops by wide receivers. The real question for the Giants at the quarterback position is who will back Manning up.
Both Ryan Nassib and Josh Johnson are free agents this offseason, and it wouldn’t be a complete surprise if neither of them are re-signed. While backup quarterback is of significant importance for some teams, the Giants have only started one quarterback since Eli Manning took over in 2004.
Running Back
Paul Perkins showed a lot of promise down the stretch this season, showing great open field speed and an improved feel for running in the NFL. He won the starting job from veteran Rashad Jennings, and rightly so.
Moving forward, only Bobby Rainey is a free agent. After a lackluster season by Rainey, which might be remembered for his foolish play during the Packers game, when he caught the ball on a kickoff and went out of bounds instead of letting the ball bounce out of play for a penalty, and will likely be moved on.
The Giants might feel comfortable with Perkins and Shane Vereen moving forward. It might be smart to release Jennings and save the cap space, and invest in another young running back in the middle to late rounds of the draft. Regardless, Jennings’ status on the team and if Perkins will remain the starter are the lingering questions for New York at running back.
Wide Receiver
The Giants best position on offense was wide receiver this season, but it was the receivers that flopped in the postseason. Key drops from Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard in the end zone spelled doom for New York, but regardless, they both were terrific during the regular season, and are as good a 1-2 punch as any in the NFL.
The Giants might want to invest in another wideout either during the draft or free agency. Victor Cruz clearly lost a step in 2016, and will likely be released. Tavarres King had a huge touchdown against the Packers and is a serviceable backup receiver. Dwyane Harris made the Pro Bowl for his work on special teams, and will likely be held.
The big question in the offseason is who will replace the likely departing Victor Cruz as the team’s third wide receiver, and how the Giants will address the position: from within, via the draft, or via free agency.
Offensive Line
By far, the teams weakest link was the offensive line. The Giants two free agents on the offensive line are Marshall Newhouse and Will Beatty, who will both likely be let go. Players like John Jerry and Bobby Hart are clearly not good enough, and will likely be either released or demoted into a backup role.
The two big questions: Will the Giants splash in free agency on an established lineman, or address the position through the draft? Additionally, what will happen with Ereck Flowers?
Despite a disastrous sophomore campaign, it would be foolish to throw in the towel on Flowers, who still has immense physical potential. A smarter move would potentially be to move Flowers to right tackle, and then either draft a left tackle or sign one in free agency.
Regardless of what happens with Flowers, the offensive line is likely the thing holding back the Giants the most from being a contender, and therefore must be addressed as the top offseason priority.
Defensive Line
The Giants have two very important free agents on the defensive line: Jason Pierre-Paul and Jonathan Hankins. JPP was playing at a Pro-Bowl level before going down late in the season. Hankins came back from injury with a bang this season, partnering with Damon Harrison in the Giants staunch run game.
The Giants will likely be able to afford only one of them, which means that general manager Jerry Reese has a massive question facing him going forward: Hankins or JPP?
The answer to that question will likely be the biggest story of the offseason other than the offensive line.
The Giants big boys on the D-Line (Olivier Vernon and Damon Harrison) lived up to the hype this season, and are still intact, which is still of the utmost importance.
Linebacker
Jonathan Casillas broke out in 2016 as a defensive leader at linebacker, but his backup will be decided in free agency. Both Keenan Robinson and Kelvin Shepard are free agents, and it wouldn’t be a shock of one or neither is resigned.
The Giants linebacking corps is the weakest group on the defensive side of the ball, and still desperately needs a standout player. While the Giants may not be able to afford one in free agency, taking a linebacker in the first round if no standout offensive lineman is available wouldn’t be the worst decision.
Secondary
The secondary may have been shredded by Aaron Rodgers during Wild Card Weekend, but it remains the biggest strength of the team. Landon Collins was a first-team All-Pro, while Janoris Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie were second-team All-Pro’s. Eli Apple, despite struggling mightily against Randall Cobb and Devante Adams, quietly put together a very solid rookie campaign.
The biggest question mark is at free safety. Leon Hall played a bit of free safety down the stretch, but he is A: 32-years old, B: a cornerback, and C: A free agent. Darian Thompson has a ton of potential, and the Giants brass is big fans of him, but whether or not he can stay healthy remains a question mark.
Cody Sensabaugh and Trevin Wade, who are serviceable backup corners, are also free agents.
Special Teams
Long snapper Zak D’Ossie and kicker Robbie Gould are both free agents. The former, who is a team captain and a long-time Giant, will likely be re-signed.
The latter, Gould, played well down the stretch and deserves to be re-signed. Whether the 35-year-old veteran is resigned will likely be one of the less important storylines of the offseason, however.
What are the Three Biggest Questions?
- What’s good with the Offensive Line?
- Jason Pierre-Paul or Jonathan Hankins?
- Who will be the third wide receiver?