The New York Giants are likely to cut inside linebacker Alec Ogletree before free agency starts, in order to create cap space.
The New York Giants are ready to enter the offseason with the fourth overall pick and $64 million in salary-cap space. While Dave Gettleman has struggled with free-agent acquisitions in his first two years on the job, he has plenty of money to take a stab at it this time around.
However, despite the cap space, Gettleman is likely to make several cuts that will free up even more space. The most high profile of these likely cuts, according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, is inside linebacker Alec Ogletree.
Cutting the captain would free up $8.25 in cap room for the Giants. Ogletree racks up tackles (80 in 13 games last season, 676 in seven NFL seasons with three seasons over 100 tackles), but struggles against the pass, grading in the bottom half of the league in pass coverage for inside linebackers, according to Pro Football Focus.
Ogletree, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Rams in 2018, is a good presence in the locker room and is a respected captain, but his struggles in the passing game make him a bad fit in an NFL that has become an increasingly pass-first league.
Ryan Connelly could step in to replace Ogletree next season, as he recorded two interceptions and 20 tackles in four games before suffering a season-ending injury. The team could also target Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons in the draft, although he had success at several positions in college and might move all around the field for whatever NHL team drafts him.
Raanan lists several other players likely to be cut, including safety Antoine Bethea, edge rusher Kareem Martin and backup tight end Rhett Ellison, although none of them will clear the kind of money that Ogletree would.
The Giants will seemingly look significantly different by the end of the offseason.
