While the Patriots and Falcons are in Houston preparing for Sunday’s Super Bowl, the Giants’ sights are set on getting to the game next season. Giants fans flooded the mailbag with questions about the team’s offseason plans.
As always, you can send me questions any time on Twitter or via email. Here we go:
@DDuggan21 your personal solution to fix the OL?
— MJ (@MJ916) February 2, 2017
I got a few questions about the offense line, which makes sense because it’s the biggest question mark heading into the offseason. Let’s start with the two absolutes for next season: Justin Pugh will be the left guard and Weston Richburg will be the center. Everything else is unsettled.
As for how I would approach filling the holes, I would make finding a veteran left tackle the top priority. The only obvious upgrade in free agency is Cincinnati’s Andrew Whitworth.
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I know some will have concerns about the 35-year-old’s age, but Whitworth has missed a total of two games in the past eight seasons and he has made two straight Pro Bowls. There’s no evidence that his durability or performance is on the decline. Now, I obviously wouldn’t sign Whitworth long-term, but if he can be had on a short-term deal for a reasonable price, the Giants should be all over him.
The problem for the Giants is that Whitworth wants to remain in Cincinnati, where he has spent his entire 11-year career. If the Giants strike out on Whitworth, I think they’ll need to revisit the idea of trading for a veteran like Cleveland’s Joe Thomas or San Francisco’s Joe Staley.
The price for Thomas was deemed too high at the trade deadline and the Giants were still committed to Ereck Flowers at left tackle at the time. But with general manager Jerry Reese saying Flowers’ future could be at a different position, it’s time to re-explore a trade.
Thomas or Staley would represent a major upgrade and they’re signed to reasonable contracts for the next few seasons. The problem is their teams are aware of those facts, so the price will be high for either in a trade. While I wouldn’t mortgage the future on a 30-plus tackle, the Giants need to be more aggressive with quarterback Eli Manning “on the back nine,” as Reese said.
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If the Giants go all-in at left tackle, then they’ll have to be more budget-conscious on the right side. Ideally, Flowers will find a home at right tackle. I’d let Flowers, Bobby Hart and free agent Marshall Newhouse compete for the right tackle job.
It would be nice to upgrade the right guard spot, but bringing back veteran John Jerry on an affordable contract may be the best option.
I’d also shop the bargain bin in free agency for a veteran and add an offensive lineman or two in the draft. But I wouldn’t force an offensive line pick in the first round because I don’t think the Giants can land a Day 1 starter with the 23rd pick.
@DDuggan21 thought on Christian McCaffrey? And what round should we draft a QB?
— Steven Obito (@StevenObitoNYG) February 2, 2017
I’m high on McCaffrey as a prospect and I think the versatile Stanford running back would be a great fit with the Giants. If the Giants decide to cut ties with Shane Vereen, who has a $4.9 million cap hit next season, McCaffrey could step into that role as a pass-catching back.
But if the Giants bring Vereen back for the final year of his contract, McCaffrey would be a luxury selection in the first round and there’s no way he’d still be available when they pick again late in the second round.
As for drafting a quarterback, there’s no definitive answer, but I wouldn’t invest a pick in the first two rounds. I know there’s been some talk about how the Giants would have to take Clemson’s Deshaun Watson if he dropped to 23, but I’d pass. I think the Giants need a player that can step in immediately early in the draft and then they can target a quarterback to develop in the middle rounds.
@DDuggan21 1. When do you think Victor Cruz’s contract situation will get resolved? 2. Do the Giants want to re-sign Ryan Nassib?
— Big Blue United (@BigBlueUnited) February 2, 2017
1. Cruz still hasn’t heard anything from the Giants, which isn’t surprising. There won’t be any roster moves until after the Super Bowl. Cruz agreed to a pay cut when the new league year started last year. I think that’s a reasonable expectation again. The 2017 league year begins on March 9 and Cruz is due a $1 million roster bonus on March 11, so things should definitely be resolved by then.
2. I’d be surprised if the Giants re-sign Ryan Nassib as Manning’s backup. Nassib finished the season on injured reserve after undergoing elbow surgery and he didn’t show much in his four years with the Giants to suggest he’s a potential successor to Manning.
I could see the Giants retaining Josh Johnson as Manning’s backup and adding a young quarterback in the draft to develop.
@DDuggan21 Will Giants franchise JPP? And we all know he deserves more than OV got but will he get it?
— Bryan(r) (@LifeOfBryan_) February 2, 2017
I know a lot of fans think the Giants should simply slap the franchise tag on free agent defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, but James Kratch did a good job explaining why that’s not a simple solution.
The franchise tag for defensive ends is expected to be around $17 million in 2017. That means the Giants would have $33 million of a projected $168 million salary cap tied into two defensive ends next season.
Now, the Giants could tag Pierre-Paul and then work out a long-term deal that is more cap-friendly, but there’s no guarantees that will happen. Pierre-Paul reportedly wants more than the five-year, $85 million ($52.5 million guaranteed) contract the Giants gave Olivier Vernon last offseason.
Pierre-Paul’s play before a season-ending injury in Week 13 indicates that he’s worth that type of deal and he’ll probably find a team willing to give him a contract in that range. The question is if that team will be the Giants.
Jim Ciancia from New Mexico via email: “I would like to know why there was not and is not more talk of using a fullback. It seems to me that if the O-line has problems opening holes for the running back, a big fullback would be a real asset. No?”
There wasn’t much talk of a fullback this season because the Giants didn’t even have one of the roster. They lost Will Johnson and Nikkita Whitlock to injuries in the preseason and never filled that hole.
In hindsight, that was a mistake. In his end-of-season press conference, Reese indicated that coach Ben McAdoo didn’t value a fullback in his offense. But the Giants’ struggles to run the ball, especially the blocking issues at tight end, showed that they would have benefited from a strong lead blocker in the backfield. I expect the Giants to rectify that issue next season.
Dan Duggan may be reached at dduggan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DDuggan21. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.
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