New York Giants Offseason Recap
With Free agency and the Draft coming to a close let’s take a look at what the New York Giants have accomplished this offseason.
New York's Notable Off-Season Losses
We should start off by addressing some notable pieces the Giants lost. The biggest name that won’t be returning is DT Dalvin Tomlinson as he signs with the Vikings. Tomlinson was the only Free Agent ranked in the top 100 by Pro Football Focus as he came in at #46 overall and his loss will be felt more than the others. His interior presence was felt in both the run and the pass as he began to enter his prime at the age of 27. They also lost OLB Kyler Fackrell (Chargers), RB Wayne Gallman (49ers) , and RT Cam Fleming (Broncos). While Gallman was serviceable, a healthy Saquon Barkley easily solves that issue. With Fleming's struggles, along with the rest of the offensive line, I don't think his exit will hurt the Giants at all. Now let’s dive into this electric offseason.
Giants Off-Season Additions
Dave Gettleman and company were quite busy as they felt the pressure to surround Daniel Jones with more talent. An offense that averaged 17.5 points last year was undoubtedly looking for a spark as they ranked bottom 10 in all Offensive Advanced Metrics except one. They also didn’t forget about the defensive side of the ball with some exciting names looking to enter the fold with the hopes of building on a strong defensive campaign in 2020.
Defensive Additions
Starting the offseason off with a bang the Giants were able to retain their 2020 sack leader in Leonard Williams. Ranked as the #19 overall free agent, it was crucial to bring him back as it felt like his potential was finally tapped into. The recruitment on the defensive side of the ball didn’t end there as they also brought in CB Adoree Jackson, the #25 overall free agent, to pair alongside James Bradberry. The Giants also made some solid depth moves bringing in DT Danny Shelton, ILB Reggie Ragland, and DE Ifeadi Odenigbo.
Gettleman also addressed the defense in the draft. In the second round, he grabbed the exciting OLB out of Georgia, Azeez Ojulari. Defense was once again addressed in the third round by adding more cornerback depth with Aaron Robinson out of UCF. Finally, in the later rounds LB Elerson Smith and CB Rodarius Williams.
Offensive Additions
Now. Here comes the offense. The biggest signing of the offseason was landing monster WR Kenny Golladay. Getting the #4 overall free agent is huge for the Giants offense. Adding him gives the Giants that number 1 threat they have been missing since trading Odell Beckham Jr. He's among the league leaders in contested and on target catch rate so he should be the number one receiver Daniel Jones has been missing. If Jones can take the necessary steps to improve and the offensive line can hold its own, then the Giants' short and long term ceiling is scary. You always need several things to break your way over the course of a season, but it's exciting to see so much potential on this roster. They continued to make other solid moves by bringing in TE Kyle Rudolph, RB Devontae Booker, and RG Zach Fulton.
Gettleman wasn’t done adding weapons for Daniel Jones. In the first round of the draft he traded back to pick 20 as the Giants took WR Kadarius Toney out of Florida. An explosive, 4.39 40 yard dash receiver who can break a big play at any moment. They then grabbed a physical RB in Gary Brightwell in the sixth round from Arizona. Keep an eye on him near the goal line early in his career.
All in all, it was quite the busy offseason for the New York Giants adding exciting pieces on both sides of the ball as they hope to improve on last year’s gritty season. After being the seventh most injured team in 2020, a healthy season paired with these explosive additions could be fun to watch in a wide open NFC East. So stick with us at Giant Up and lets see if this will be the year they can recapture some of that playoff magic!