What happens over the next few weeks will indicate more about what the Giants really think about their offense, than any remarks made before the start of the NFL-free agency.
So far this season, they have been scrutinizing Kevin Zeitler, their opening judge for the past two seasons, to get $ 12 million in the much-needed salary cap, and are negotiating the contract of Nate Solder, their former starting left tackle, to cut even more to get room. The exact amount not yet announced but expected to be much lower than the $ 16.5 million loft was in 2021.
On Monday, teams can start with unlimited free agents, the so-called legal tampering period. No deals can be made official until Wednesday, which is the start of the new league year, but before the official opening of the signing period, many agreements will be agreed and leaked.
The Giants could, of course, give up paying free money or even moderate dollars in free agencies and wait until the NFL draft in late April to bolster the depth, and perhaps add a starting player to their offensive line. Is this a clever way of action? With Andrew Thomas, Shane Lemieux, Nick Gates and possibly Matt Peart, the Giants already have enough youths in their line, and the addition of a rookie will only lower the level of experience.
“We all want things to happen quickly,” said Dave Gettleman, general manager. ‘Just for what it’s worth, in terms of where we’m offended, they’re young and talented. Things take time. We believe in these guys, everyone comes together, we ended the season pretty strong. One of the things I would say to you was that we were 4-2 in our division, and if you look at our division, all the defensive lines we play are all the fronts big, powerful, athletic defensive lines and our guys stopped. So, we get there. This is the old saying: you must run the ball and you must be able to protect the passer of course. We are young and we are getting better. ‘
The Giants were only about $ 4 million below the $ 182.5 million salary cap before the savings from Solder’s restructuring took the book. They may not be able to afford the best offensive lineouts on the market – Trent Williams, Joe Thuney come to mind – but they may be able to play for the next series of players. Riley Reiff has started 119 games in the last eight years, mostly on the left, and he can be a right tackle. Veteran attacks Alejandro Villanueva and Kelvin Beachum are also available.
It will be interesting to see how the market treats Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz, the two starting heads for the Chiefs, who were both issued last week. Fisher recovered from a torn Achilles tendon in January and Schwartz underwent back surgery in February. Would the Giants gamble on a one-year deal on the health of one of these players?
Attic turns 33 next month and returns to compete for a job. It will not be on the left, where Andrew Thomas, the number 4 choice in the 2020 draft, lives. Solder can switch to the right tackle – a place he has not played since his rookie season in 2011 – and finds himself in a competition with Peart for the starting role. Attic, who did not qualify last season, can appear as a rugby competition in both places. His body could heal after a year out of the game, but it remains to be seen how much he loses when he sits out.