B/R Lays Out Potential Solutions to Fill Giants Roster Holes
The New York Giants suffered a wave of injuries that derailed their season. After finishing 6-11 this season, Giants Coach Brian Daboll is facing the most crucial season as the head coach of the Giants.
For Daboll to have a chance of turning things around, the Giants must repair their broken team. Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox lists three position groups the Giants must focus on during free agency.
The first is the offensive line, where other than for left tackle Andrew Thomas and center John Michael Schmitz, the Giants have question marks following an injury-filled season in which several different starting combinations allowed a whopping 85 sacks on the season.
"The Giants will have an easier time addressing needs at guard, where Justin Pugh and en Bredeson are scheduled to become free agents," Knox writes. "The guard market is far more impressive than the tackle market.
"The Giants could realistically add two starting guards in free agency if they approach the position aggressively enough. They should because last year's line made it difficult for any of New York's quarterbacks to play at a high level."
General manager Joe Schoen has a long to-do list to fix an underachieving Giants roster.
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Addressing the interior line in free agency would help boost New York's 27th-ranked offense and help free up the Giants' early draft selections for other needs."The second biggest need for the Giants to address is wide receiver. The receiving unit's struggles weren't as noticeable as the offensive line's this season, but the Giants' lack of a true WR1 cost them.
"New York had one of the league's most underwhelming receiving corps in 2023—Darius Slayton led the team with just 770 yards and was the only wideout to top 600 yards," Knox noted.
"If the Giants don't target a quarterback at the top of Round 1, they may use the pick on one of this year's top wide receiver prospects. A prospect like Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr., LSU's Malik Nabers, or Washington's Rome Odunze would instantly improve the group."
There are also options in free agency to consider, including Mike Evans, Michael Pittman Jr., Marquise Brown, Gabe Davis, Darnell Mooney, Calvin Ridley, and Curtis Samuel. Davis, who played under [Brian] Daboll with the Buffalo Bills, could be particularly intriguing to the Giants.
While the offense needs a lot of upgrades, the defense is not without its holes. Defensive line depth is a big one, according to Knox, who pointed out that the Giants had the 31st-ranked run defense in yards per carry last year.
"Prospects such as Clemson's Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Texas A&M's Edgerrin Cooper could help boost the defense significantly but would cost the Giants a premium second-round pick," Knox observed. "The Giants probably aren't going to use their first-round pick on a defensive player unless it's a top edge-rusher like Florida State's Jared Verse—and even then, it may only happen in a trade-down scenario.
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