The needs are there, clear and concise. With the NFL-free agency starting this week, the Giants may be able to fill these two conspicuous holes on their list.
They need a first-class wide receiver. And they need a dreaded fringe. Can both of these items be removed from the shopping list by selecting and securing these commodities on the open market?
The short answer: No.
Giants general manager Dave Gettleman said: ‘There’s a concept? ” So you do not necessarily have to buy both. We’ll just see how it plays out, see what guys are worth and what the expenses are, and move on. ‘
This is the key here: keep moving forward. The Giants may not fill either of their two big holes in the coming weeks. They do not have much money to spend and probably do not have a general interest in team building through purchasing power.
A year ago, Gettleman and Joe Judge, the first-year head coach, had money and struck quickly – an expensive cornerback, James Bradberry, and a $ 10 million-a-year Blake Martinez innings. These two signatures were a hit in every way. The Giants do not have the salary cap to make a similar impact this time.
Of course, if Kenny Golladay is signed, he will immediately be named the no. 1-receiver retract. Do you have $ 20 million a year to fit him in? Shaq Barrett, if he is not going to sign with the Super Bowl champion Buccaneers again, would be the pass rest to perfectly complement Leonard Williams’ push in the interior. That sounds good, but it’s not a viable option for a team that had to cut a proven offensive linebacker Kevin Zeitler to get below the $ 182.5 million salary cap.
The Giants are about $ 4 million in the free agency. If they can sign Williams on a long-term deal and significantly reduce Nate Solder’s awkward ($ 16.5 million) cap number, they could effectively add more than $ 20 to the capital. The Giants will make their notes, creating more wrinkles than splashes. It remains to be seen if they can find the leeway to add even one big card contract.
Judge comes from the Patriots way of doing things, in which draft was king and free agency was largely an accompaniment. That does not mean he spends, if the money is there and the player fits exactly the right.
“Look, I’m always a long-term picture,” Judge said. ‘I think you have success by constantly building your team through the concept, by developing your players, by adding the right players in free agencies that not only schematically suit you, but also personally and culturally fit in the locker room . I think the one thing to keep in mind as we go through this free agency point of the year, and look, it’s very exciting, and there’s a lot of press and media and it’s everywhere on TV, but the reality is that it’s not fantasy. is not football: You can not just grab a player, put him in your team and think everything will work out. ‘
Judge is self-conscious. He knows his approach is not for everyone. Bradberry, Martinez and later Logan Ryan signed that 100 percent match what Judge wants from veterans joining the program. He does not seem to be the type of head coach who is willing to take leaps of faith or take big risks, regardless of the skill level of the player.
“There are things we do here, look, we’re not making it easy for our players and coaches, it’s by design,” Judge said. ‘The guys we buy in this locker room, we have a lot of fun through this, but we have a way of doing things. Being honest with you is not for everyone. ‘
This year’s concept – without exploring combined, limited interaction with potential people and getting to know you remotely – is in some ways an unprecedented frontier, with teams less familiar than ever with the players they are going to pick. . This is not the case with veterans on the open market, who could encourage the Giants to try to draw in bulk for depth on the roster.
“The uncertainty really does not play into an unlimited free agency,” Gettleman said. “These are players who are in the league, and that’s not the problem to investigate.”
It’s hard to predict that the Giants will make a big comeback with their own free agent, defensive attacker Dalvin Tomlinson, who as a leading player is likely to command more than $ 12 million a year. It would be a loss that underscores the need for profit elsewhere.