Offseason Outlook: The Giants Top 5 Needs/Wants
Offseason Outlook: The Giants Top 5 Needs/Wants
We have our second NFC East contestant in the New York Giants. They had a year in which there were some high points but for the majority of the time, there were low points. They had plenty of injuries at all times, but there was too much inexperience. The receivers were too young, the defense was a mixed bag in terms of age, yet bad overall. There were some bright spots in there like Dexter Lawrence later in the year and Markus Golden finding some of his old form from 2016. All together though the only true bright spot was Saquon Barkley and has ability out the backfield whether it was rushing or receiving. If the team is built around him and some of the other young promising players, this can be a good team in a year or two.
New York Giants
Wants
Offensive Line
Cornerback
Receiver
Linebacker
Safety
Needs
Improved coaching from newly hired Joe Judge
Better play from secondary as a whole in coverage
More turnovers from the defense
Strong offensive line play
More pressure applied by the front four
Offensive Line
One issue that has plagued this organization for a long time now has been inconsistencies on the offensive line. Whether it was a bad play from the tackles, bad play from the interior or the line as a whole. This past season was one of those examples of the line as a whole not being up to the task. Big free-agent signee from two years ago Nate Solder has been a bust since signing with the team. Mike Remmers on the other is not agile or quick enough to be a reliable tackle, he is better suited at guard and even then, he is more of a run blocker than pass blocker. Will Hernandez, their rookie pick showed promise, but then had to deal with suspect protect from both sides of him. The only other somewhat reliable lineman was trade acquisition Kevin Zeitler. The guard positions seem to be filled for the foreseeable future, but the rest of the line needs help. Luckily for them, there are a few solid moves to make in free agency and a plethora of draft available lineman to pick up. The team’s best bet is to sign some from both free agency and the draft early and often. A tackle like Trent Williams to replace Nate Solder on the left side will do wonders. Then to draft a center in the second round like Cushenberry from LSU, and in the first round getting a guy like Cam Thomas for the right tackle will give the line a bright future. It would have a good blend of veteran presence and youth to help it grow for the next few years.
Cornerback
This is another position of need for the team. They drafted Deandre Baker last year, but he definitely had some growing pains. He showed promise with eight pass deflections and 61 total tackles with two for loss. Yet, he had no turnovers and was beat too often. He will need to improve next year and cause more turnovers to be a reliable starter for the future. You then can add a guy in the second or third round to help man either the slot or the boundary. If it was my choice, I would choose a boundary guy like Kristian Fulton to draft in the second round. Let him develop alongside Baker and have a good tandem for the future. While doing so I would add a veteran presence that can play either inside or outside and help the young guys grow. The perfect fit for that would be Chris Harris Jr. He is a guy that has shown the ability to play both spots well, he has championship experience, while also he still has a few more good years before they should see a decline in play. You add this core of cornerbacks to the safety spots with Bethea and Peppers, and it will be a solid foundation on which you can build on for the future with a good plan of succession.
More turnovers from the defense as a whole
This team had a serious problem on defense when it came to taking the ball away. It was a team that only managed ten interceptions and six fumbles recoveries. You average that out and you only get a turnover a game. That isn’t the worse thing in the world, but it was in the bottom of the barrel this year in terms of turnovers. As a defense in a more offensive league, you need the ability to create turnovers for your team. It helps not only give the defense rest and more confidence for when they step on the field, but it gives your offense more chances to score and put up points. Anytime you can get more opportunities for your offense to score the greater the chance you will have to lead your team to a win. The Giants this past season turned the ball over on offense at an alarming rate and have some of those possessions back can have made some of those losses into wins. The goal next year is to shoot for at least two turnovers a game, 15 interceptions and 15 fumble recoveries is a goal that could be achieved with a strong group effort.
-By: Darren Braxton
