The NFL Season is over and the offseason is coming full-force. The New York Giants did some serious work with their front office and Coaching Staff. Now it’s all about the roster building. First let’s take a look at what the Giants did with the Front Office and Coaching Staff.
Giants Organization
Front Office
The Giants had Dave Gettleman as the General Manager for the past few years and he simply has made the team worse and put the teams roster and cap situation in the dirt. Early in the offseason Dave Gettleman stepped down and retired, as he would have been fired regardless. The team had a very in-depth GM search which concluded ex-Bills Assistant GM Joe Schoen becoming the next Giants GM. He then brought in an ex-Eagles Director of player personnel, Brandon Brown, to be the Giants new Assistant GM. Schoen then demoted ex-Assistant GM Kevin Abrams to Senior VP of Football Operations & Strategy. Schoen also added some more analytical minds in some front office positions. Next up is a Head Coach.
Staff Changes
With Joe Schoen coming over from Buffalo there was an obvious favorite for the position, ex-Bills OC Brian Daboll. The Giants conducted a decent sized search but ultimately got their guy with Brian Daboll.
With Brian Daboll being an offensive-minded coach, finding a quality staff was important and he did just that. The list following is all of the staff he ended up building (via Giants.com):
Laura Young Director of Coaching Operations
Offensive Staff
Brian Daboll Head Coach
Mike Kafka Offensive Coordinator
Andy Bischoff Tight Ends Coach
Mike Groh Wide Receivers Coach
Bobby Johnson Offensive Line Coach
Christian Jones Offensive Assistant
DeAndre Smith Running Backs Coach
Tony Sparano Jr. Assistant Offensive Line Coach
Shea Tierney Quarterbacks Coach
Defensive/Special Teams Staff
Don Martindale Defensive Coordinator
Thomas McGaughey Special Teams Coordinator
Anthony Blevins Assistant Special Teams Coach
Bryan Cox Assistant Defensive Line Coach
John Egorugwu Inside Linebackers Coach
Jerome Henderson Defensive Backs Coach
Andre Patterson Defensive Line Coach
Michael Treier Assistant Defensive Backs Coach
Drew Wilkins Outside Linebackers Coach
Kevin Wilkins Defensive Assistant
Nick Williams Quality Control/Special Teams Coach
The Staff is filled with a bunch of quality coaches and human beings which is exactly the kind of staff Daboll was looking for. The Giants are in good shape in this category for the first time, in a long time.
Cap Space
-$12,204,020
This is not good especially for where the Giants roster is at right now. Some cuts could include: WR Sterling Shepard
TE Kyle Rudolph
P Riley Dixon
RB Devonte Booker
LB Oshane Ximines
IOL Nick Gates (assuming he won’t play football anyways)
Several low-end roster players making 800k-1.5M (T.J Brunson, Niko Lalos, David Moa, etc.
That number being where it is could also end up with some quality veterans getting released or traded as well as a potential reconstruct of Kenny Golladay’s Contract.
Roster Overview
Quarterback
The Giants Seem Committed to Daniel Jones this year. But not any years beyond. This allows the possibility of still going out and drafting one of the Top Quarterbacks of this 2022 NFL Draft and allow Daniel Jones to be the bridge QB for a rookie QB. Then there’s the situation where the Giants give Jones the reins and if he plays quality football this year, you think about an extension or if he sucks you’ll have a higher draft pick which can allow you to draft a QB in the 2023 NFL Draft. This Position for the Giants is a huge question mark, the only way it isn’t is if they trade for a Top Tier QB this offseason before the draft.
Wide Receiver
The Giants need help at the Wide Receiver position. They paid Kenny Golladay last offseason and he has not shown much, even though it was mostly due to Jason Garrett’s poor scheme. Kadarius Toney was not able to stay healthy but looked like a dynamic playmaker when he was healthy. Sterling Shepard is a quality slot WR and veteran leader but will likely be a cap casualty due to the poor cap space situation the Giants are in.
Tight End
Evan Engram likely will not be retained, but if he does there is a reason why, he still has upside due to his athletic ability. Kyle Rudolph will likely be released. If Engram is not retained, and with a deep FA class and a decent draft class, the Giants will end up being good here.
Offensive line
Keep adding on, always. The Giants OL has not been good in years past and this needs to change. Try to upgrade at every position except LT, as Andrew Thomas is a stud.
Defensive Line
The main need here is versatility and a true NT to fit with what Wink Martindale likes to do. But a strong point of the team as of now.
Pass Rushing
The Giants desperately need help in this category. Wink Martindale will use as many as he can get. Azeez Ojulari looked good as a rookie, and with top picks in this year’s draft the Giants are likely to address this need. Also expect the Giants to dig deep in FA to find upside Edge rushers for Wink Martindale to use.
Linebackers
Blake Martinez is a quality player but his contract is questionable and he is getting older. But the second linebacker position is almost as important as the starting linebacker. Tae Crowder has shown flashes but has also shown why he was the last pick in the draft. I’d like the Giants to get a more pass coverage-heavy LB to fill next to Martinez, or just an all-around sideline to sideline type LB that they haven’t had in a long time..
Defensive Backs
The Giants are solid here, but won’t be soon. The defense Wink Martindale plays includes a bunch of Cover 0 & Cover 1 mixed in with all sorts of other coverages which will mean James Bradberry will likely be released or traded as he is a strong zone CB and a decent man-man CB but with his cap hit with the Giants cap situation it’s likely best to part ways and draft or bring a few guys in that fit Wink Martindale’s system better. Xavier McKinney is a stud and Logan Ryan is a quality player and leader even at his age. The Giants will likely lose Jabrill Peppers to the open market as well, so they could use a safety that is able to play all over the field.
The Giants did a good job with the Front Office & Staff now it’s time to start the rebuild by getting out of the cap hell they are in while also trying to improve the roster. This will be a long offseason for Giants fans as there are so many questions surrounding this team.
