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New York Giants To Potentially Release Two Wide Receivers

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For the New York Giants, shedding some cap-space and adding several key additions to the team is essential, but the question is: Who should the Giants cut to save money?

Will they be cut?

ESPN’s Jordan Raanan thinks that both Brandon Marshall and Dwayne Harris will be casualties of war once free agency comes rolling around.Marshall is only two-seasons removed from a 1,500-yard, 14 touchdown campaign. Marshall struggled to gain chemistry with quarterback Eli Manning in 2017, failing to reel in several key receptions that ultimately cost the Giants a few games. His value just simply isn’t worth $5 million in 2018 which will result in his letting go.

Dwayne Harris on the other hand was signed to be the Giants’ top kick returning options, and he succeeded in his first season with Big Blue. Harris also was the teams best special teams gunner, but his value as a wide receiver was far from good. Cutting Harris would give the Giants an additional $2.5 million in cap-space for the upcoming season.

The bottom line, ridding themselves of these two wide receivers would give the Giants more money to work with, and it would rescind the low-value signings that Jerry Reese plagued the team with.

 

Eli Apple Trying To Resurrect Relationship With Landon Collins

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Well, it seems as if the New York Giants front-office overhaul is finally spurring the change in culture the team so desperately needed.

Cornerback Eli Apple plagued the team with bad energy and drama throughout the 2017 season. He was suspended in the season finale and was torn apart by teammates on a weekly basis.

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He was continuosly attacked by star safety Landon Collins and not to mention the fan base. But Apple might finally be turning a corner, as he took to Instagram to refurbish his relationship with Collins.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Be88KdoFOHi/

Apple is actually trying!

Apple posted a picture of him standing next to Collins, expressing how excited he is to get back to playing.

Of course, we can’t let Apple off the hook just yet, but at the very least we can assume he’s trending in the right direction.

It’s also safe to say Dave Gettleman made it very clear to the young corner that any more drama would result in the end of his career with the Giants, and would likely spell trouble for him in the future with any NFL team.

The change in culture is exactly what the team and Apple needed, as the shenanigans that ensued last season won’t be tolerated in ’18.

What The New York Giants’ Offensive Line Might Look Like In 2018

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The No. 1 priority for the New York Giants this offseason will undoubtedly be solving the issues on the offensive line and finding solid replacements for Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg.

There are several options on the free agent market, but they might run the Giants more than they are willing to spend.

Let’s take a look at who might be on the starting line come September of 2018:

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1.) LT Nate Solder

The New York Giants will surely be moving on from Ereck Flowers at left tackle this offseason, and the only guy that is proven and would fit the bill in free agency is New England Patriots’ Nate Solder. Left tackles in the NFL make a killing, and good ones can run any given team upwards of $10 million per-season, but it’s worth it in the long run.

Signing Solder would put the Giants in a great position moving forward, as Eli Manning will have the protection he needs and his heir won’t have a worry from his blind-side.

Solder would cost the Giants somewhere in the $10-12 million per-season range, which is not ideal for a team trying to cut back on big contracts. But with the cap-space climbing every year, singing Solder to a long-term deal would be worth it in the end. His worth will end up being solid in a year or two when players worse than him are making $10 million on a yearly basis.

2.) LG Andrew Norwell

For the Giants to secure Carolina Panthers’ guard Andrew Norwell to a contract, they will have to offer him a solid deal. Somewhere in the $8-10 million range would likely suffice. By guaranteeing him a hefty signing-bonus they might even be able to cut that number down significantly.

Snagging both Norwell and Solder to secure the left side of the line for years to come would be a significant upgrade, and it would provide an influx of durability and quality. Norwell was previously an undrafted free agent under Dave Gettleman, so the connection is there between the star offensive lineman and Giants’ general manager. If Gettleman decides to reconnect with Norwell, you can expect to see extreme value out of this pickup.

3.) C Brett Jones

Re-signing center Brett Jones should be a priority for the Giants, as his play was valiant in 2017. Jones’ contract only allocated about $1.4 million in the final year of his rookie deal.

Plugging him in as the starter at center in 2018 would be a high-upside and value choice, as he would likely only be offered $2-4 million per-season. For that price, Jones should be re-signed yesterday.

4.) RG D.J. Fluker

Right guard D.J. Fluer performed well in 2017, showing that his first-round value is still there. Fluker believes he deserves a generous contract after his performance in 2017, but one decent year won’t get him the money he’s seeking.

We should expect to see the Giants offer him anywhere from $4-5 million per-season, which is a solid investment considering his potential.

5.) RT Desmond Harris

West Georgia’s Desmond Harrison is a very interesting and exciting player coming out of college this year. Harrison has all of the tools to become a starting tackle in the NFL as soon as he gets scooped up in the draft. Scouts have him being taken no later than the second-round, especially considering his size (6-foot-7, 300-pounds).

Harrison was formerly at Texas University but was released due to failed drug tests (what player doesn’t smoke weed?). His potential is sky-high and it seems as if he’s solved the issues that plagued him earlier in his college career. He would be an extreme value pick for the Giants, and if they choose to trade back he could be one of the steals of the draft in the second-round.

EXTRA:

The entire offensive line would run the Giants about $33 million dollars. That’s $13 million more than Eli Manning makes alone, so we can consider that a solid investment considering he needs the protection to succeed.

 

The Top Player That Needs To Raise His Game For The Giants In 2018

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The New York Giants have several holes to fill throughout the offseason, but one position is still up for grabs in the secondary.
At the safety position the Giants only have undrafted free agent Andrew Adams and Boise State product Darian Thompson who’s going into his third year in the NFL. Both players have been average at best at their position, and have struggled to make the leap to starting caliber players.

Thompson had big expectations entering the league in 2016, but a season ending injury delayed his career until 2017. He played the entire season in the most recent campaign, recording 75 combined tackles, one interception, six passes defended and two stuffs. His latest season wasn’t all that impressive, as the middle of the field was often a liability in the passing game.
The Giants simply don’t have enough cap-space or draft picks to address the safety position with quality, making it likely that Thompson will be expected to make a serious developmental leap in his third-season with Big Blue.
With the overhaul of the front-office nobodies job is safe, and if Thompson puts the same effort as he did in the play above, he will be in for a long 2018.

Thompson did show some flashes of quality in his first full season. We can chalk up his overall performance to the degradation of the offense and defense due to injuries, but he still has a ways to go until he can hold down the safety position on a consistent basis.
Here’s one play where Thompson breaks up a pass from Phillip Rivers to keep points off the board:
A solid play made by the glorified rookie (basically a rookie since he missed his first season). This is the type of plays that Thompson is capable of making, but doing it consistently has been his biggest struggle. With an offseason infront of him and additional pieces being added to the team, we should expect to see a revitalized secondary, especially at the safety position.

The Absolute Worst Signing From Jerry Reese’s Reign In New York

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Four years, $62 million, $40 million total guaranteed.
That’s the contract former New York Giants’ general manager Jerry Reese made for veteran defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul.
After a season  (2016) where JPP recorded seven sacks and only played in 12 games, Reese decided that giving him a monster contract was not only deserved, but expected.
The Giants’ edge-rusher played in all 16 games last season, amassing eight sacks and 48 tackles.
Let’s compare JPP’s number to a player that has a similar contract — Calais Campbell.
Campbell signed a four-year, $60 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars last season with only $30 million total guaranteed compared to Pierre-Paul’s $40 million.
Here’s where things get interesting:
Campbell finished the 2017 campaign with 14.5 total sacks and 47 tackles — let’s not forget that Campbell hasn’t missed a game in three years. So, with these stats in mind, can we officially say Jerry Reese was taking drugs?
The Jaguars and dare I say Tom Coughlin inked Campbell to a stellar deal, and the edge rusher produced his worth. The Giants on the other hand paid top-dollar for a man with less than an adequate number of fingers who was coming off a sports hernia and has seen his career plagued with injuries…
In 2018, JPP will cost the Giants $17.5 million towards the cap-space, allocating nearly as much money as Eli Manning makes. To make things even worse, the potential out on his contract is in 2020, which would cost the Giants $49.5 million with an additional $5 million in dead cap.
Well, I think we can all agree Reese was out to destroy the organization once and for all… Luckily we caught him just in time to draft a punter in the first-round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Stats collected from Spotrac.com.

 

How Giants’ Evan Engram Can Bring His Game To The Next Level

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New York Giants, Evan Engram

When New York Giants‘ first-round pick Evan Engram entered the NFL, his biggest weakness was his blocking ability.

This was a known fact for those making the decisions for the Giants at the time, but the potential of the young tight end out of Ole Miss was just too enticing to pass up. Early scouting reports had Engram developing into a Jordan Reed (Washington Redskins) type of player, which would have been very beneficial for Eli Manning and the offense.

Coming out of college, Engram weighed 227-pounds, and at the end of the 2017 season in New York, he had put on nine-pounds of lean muscle (236-pounds). Adding size to his frame will ultimately help him develop as an overall blocker, and compared to teammate Rhett Ellison, he has a bit more size to gain.

The Giants acquired Ellison to be their specialized blocking tight end last season — he weighs in at 250-pounds. Ellison’s contract has an out in 2019 for just $8.5 million. If Dave Gettleman chooses to keep him on the roster he would lock up $5.75 million in 2019 and $6.25 million in 2020 of cap-space.

The plan should be to bulk up Engram and release Ellison after the 2019 season, which would open up more than $5 million in cap-space.

Engram’s other weaknesses:

The other major weakness for Engram is his dropped passes, as he recorded five over the course of his rookie campaign. This can be seen as a concern for the Giants; but when compared to Jimmy Graham (7 dropped passes) or Travis Kelce (5 dropped passes), Engram’s totals can be taken with a grain of salt.

When comparing their receptions, Graham finished with 57, Kelce 83, and Engram 64. We must also factor in the lack of receivers for the Giants, and the amount of pressure the offense put on Engram to act as their No. 1 target on a weekly-basis.

Moving forward, Engram can develop as a blocker by putting on a few more pounds of size and learning alongside Ellison. Dropped passes can be fixed with a simple technique change, and taking away some of the pressure that has been put on the young tight end in 2018.

We can expect to see Engram develop gradually over the course of next season, and adding Odell Beckham Jr. and some solid offensive lineman should give him the confidence to take his game to the next level.

 

What Should The Giants Do With Left Tackle Ereck Flowers?

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For the New York Giants, figuring out to do with left tackle Ereck Flowers should be at the top of the priorities list going into the offseason.
The 2015 first-round pick was selected in the top 10, making him a tough cut if the Giants decided to part ways with the below average tackle. But, there are several things Big Blue can do with the  No. 10 overall pick that don’t involve sending him to the wolves.

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1.) Move him to right tackle
The consensus since Flowers was drafted was that he was never a good fit at left tackle, and his traditional position at right tackle seconds that assumption. It’s a tough sell for Dave Gettleman to let Flowers walk, so they might as well keep him for one more season. The 2018 campaign will be Flowers’ last on his rookie deal, and he will be making a mere $4.5 million for his less than adequate services.
Giving him a shot at his former position might be the best move for the Giants, since letting him protect Eli Manning’s blind-side is not advisable. If Flowers succeeds at right tackle, it opens up the door for him to be resigned for a fraction of the cost of a potential free agent, and it allows the Giants to draft a left tackle.
2.) Make him a depth player at left tackle
I would assume it’s in everybody’s best interest to keep Flowers away from the left tackle position, and making him a depth player could be more along the lines of his current stature with the team. Every team needs a reserve left tackle, and Flowers could be the guy for the job in case the worst possible situation comes to reality.
3.) Keep him starting at left tackle
Flowers was the only player on the offensive line to not miss a snap for injury related reasons in 2017. Unfortunately, that didn’t help the Giants offense succeed any more than if he were injured… In fact, when he was de-activated in the season finale for “checking out,” they won.
To put this into perspective, if Flowers remains the starter at left tackle in 2018, we made a serious mistake with Dave Gettleman at general manager.