Key Takeaways from Giants GM Joe Schoen's Mid-year Press Briefing

Joe Schoen covered a lot of ground during his press briefing. Here is a look at some of the highlights and our takeaaways from what was said.

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen has only been on the job for ten months, and during that time, he's not been one to let grass grow under his feet.

Whether it's looking for talent to upgrade the roster, planning contract extensions, or scouting future talent, Schoen is determined to give head coach Bria Daboll as much talent as necessary to make the Giants as competitive as possible.

"These conversations are ongoing," Schoen said Tuesday. "I’ll go back to some of the players mentioned in the media. We had talks in August with teams about some of those guys that met some of the parameters we’re looking at. So, there were some conversations."

As determined as Schoen has been to upgrade the roster, he's also been prudent and patient.

"Part of my job and our personnel staff is to assign value to players. Whether it’s in free agency, what you’re going to pay a player, what round you’re going to put a player in the draft, if you’re going to trade for a player, what value are you comfortable with?" he said.

"We had several conversations with teams on multiple positions, and the price point didn’t match up. And things just didn’t work out. But we were active with phone calls trying to improve the roster, which we’ll continue to do."

That's just one of several key takeaways from Schoen's 20-minute presser. Here are a few more takeaways and some thoughts to go along with them.

New York Giants wide receiver Kenny Golladay (19) warms up before a preseason game at MetLife Stadium on August 21, 2022, in East Rutherford :: Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Kenny Golladay (Knee) Should Be Back for Houston

Receiver Kenny Golladay has disappointed the Giants in the year-plus he’s been on the team. His latest setback, a sprained knee, cost him four games, but after seeing Kadarius Toney traded last week, Golladay seemed to have a fire lit under his backside.

He told reporters that he’s never been a part of a winning team and wanted to be a part of one. If he’s healthy and able to go, it will be interesting to see if he plays with a renewed sense of vigor, especially with the team having a 6-2 record.

"It motivates me even more to get out there with them just so I can put my little stamp on the game," he said. "However that comes – if it’s in the blocking area if it’s in the pass-catching – that’s the part I get jealous about. Just seeing the guys out there having fun with it."

Pat's Take: Here’s something else to consider. If Golladay does come back and become the player the Giants think he can be, does Schoen, who admitted that he’d probably need to do another contract restructure to make it through the rest of the year, look at Golladay’s monstrosity.

The odds are no, but hey, stranger things have happened.

Oct 9, 2022; London, United Kingdom; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) throws the ball in the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers during an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

He Likes What He’s Seen from Daniel Jones

One of the biggest unknowns ahead of this year was whether quarterback Daniel Jones would finally morph into a legitimate franchise quarterback. And although Jones’s numbers won’t have anyone breaking down his door with the Brinks truck following, Jones has shown grit and dedication that has caught Schoen’s eye.

“I think Daniel's done a good job. You know, I always look at gotta-have-it moments--third downs, fourth quarters when you gotta have it. And I think he's answered the bell in a lot of those situations, and he's the same guy he was the day we got here,” Schoen said, adding that Jones was in the building this morning at 7:30 for a lift."

That said, Schoen, who also praised Saquon Barkley, didn’t want to tip his hand into how he’s thinking regarding using the franchise tag, if at all.

“Obviously, those are two important players to where we are right now, but yeah, it's a constant evaluation, and we still have nine games left,” Schoen said.

Pat's Take: Even if the Giants had an abundance of cap space, they'd be wise not to rush into an extension with Barkley or Jones right now.

For example, there is a danger in waiting with Barkley because his market value could skyrocket. Schoen will likely try to get Jones done first in the off-season before free agency begins (assuming Jones keeps playing as he has and wants to come back). 

Assuming Jones's contract gets done before free agency, that would leave the franchise tag for Barkley at a rate of $12,632,000--far less than what it would cost to franchise Jones ($31,497,000).

Aug 11, 2022; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New York Giants safety Julian Love (20) walks onto the field before a preseason game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium / Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

He’s Open to Doing Contract Extensions

The Giants currently have less than $3 million in salary cap space, and, per Schoen, they will probably have to restructure yet another contract to get through the first of the year.

“Will we get through the season without having to push a little bit more down the road? We're not trending that way,” he said. “These practice squad elevations cost you these players going on IR cost you money, so I'm crossing my fingers that we don't have to do it again.

“We got nine games left, so I would like to not have to convert any more money. Regardless if we do, hopefully, it's minimal, and we'll still be in good shape going into 2023.”

Despite the cap issues, Schoen didn’t rule out potentially doing some contract extensions for the team’s upcoming UFAs or, at the very least, coming up with a strategy for them.

“Yeah, we'll have those meetings this week. We had to get through the trade deadline today and those conversations, and we'll kind of circle up with some strategy meetings as we move forward,” he said, adding that if they did anyone, they’d want to have it done by Monday to avoid any distractions for the rest of the season.

Pat's Take: Besides Jones and Barkley, a couple of other players the Giants might want to look at extending—and who probably wouldn’t be ultra taxing on the cap space--include defensive back Julian Love, punter Jamie Gillan, and offensive lineman Nick Gates.

Love and Gillan are probably the top two most likely candidates to get a new deal in the coming days if the details can be worked out. Barkley will likely look to wait until the off-season, as will Jones, as both of those contracts will be a little more complex in their structure, not to mention richer, which is why the Giants will likely want to get those right and not rush them, cap space or no cap space.

“We've got nine games left again for all these guys,” Schoen said. “We'll talk through it, what the market looks like. But you know, it's gonna be an ongoing evaluation.”

Sep 8, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; American football player Odell Beckham Jr before the game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

He Didn’t Rule Out Speaking with Odell Beckham Jr

Schoen confirmed that he wasn’t even aware of receiver Odell Beckham Jr’s visit a few weeks back to see Sterling Shepard. As for potentially bringing Beckham back to the team, Schoen didn’t rule it out.

“He's a guy we would consider and talk to when he is healthy. I think he did the ACL in February, so not sure really where he is physically, but yeah, any player that'll upgrade the roster we're gonna consider.”

Pat’s Take: Schoen has shown he’s willing to explore all avenues, including former players, just like he did with safety Landon Collins. That being said, Beckham will be on the wrong side of 30 next year and is coming off two ACL injuries in his career.

With 11 draft picks and a healthier cap situation, it might cost the Giants less to dip into the draft class than to invest in Beckham, who probably won’t accept a minimum salary offer.

Jul 29, 2022; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Kadarius Toney (89) runs a drill during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Facility / Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports

Former Receiver Kadarius Toney Was Healthy Enough to Practice Before He Was Traded

Schoen revealed that receiver Kaarius Toney, who didn’t practice the day before he was traded, was healthy enough to practice the next day and would have practiced, except he was traded.

“He was gonna practice on Thursday,” Schoen said.

After the trade was announced, Toney implied via a since-deleted social media posting that he was healthy enough to practice, but then he deleted his tweets. He is expected to be available to practice this week for the Chiefs on a limited basis.

Pat’s Take: If Toney was healthy enough to practice, even on a limited basis, on Thursday, why not go on Wednesday? The only logical answer is that trade talks with the Chiefs must have been ongoing on Wednesday, and the Giants didn’t want to risk Toney getting injured again, which would have nullified any deal.

Sep 11, 2022; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll receives a Gatorade bath from linebacker Oshane Ximines (53) after a win against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium / Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Yes, the Giants' Formula So Far is Sustainable 

The Giants have gotten off to slow starts with few exceptions and have had to play catchup to win their games this season. They’ve also been unable to put anyone away early enough, raising the question of whether this winning style was sustainable.

“There are nine games that there are things that we know we can improve,” Schoen said. “I just know you can't coach effort. You can't coach toughness. And our guys have, you know, they've been tough. They've been competitive, they've been resilient, you know, they're playing their butts off. Some weeks they're just gonna be negative matchups, or some weeks you just don't have it.”

Pat’s Take: Schoen isn’t wrong. To have expected this team to win straight out was asking a lot. But that said, how many people will argue that had the Giants receivers been more productive, maybe the Giants offense might have been able to exploit the Seahawks' defense more? And who would have guessed that the Giant’s top-five rushing offense would have struggled as much as it did against a run defense ranked near the bottom of the league?

Yes, the Giants have some injuries that affected their performance—they sorely missed tight end Daniel Bellinger, for example. But as Schoen also said, this roster needs a talent infusion at certain spots, something he wouldn't be able to fix in one off-season, given the cap situation he inherited.

Aug 5, 2022; Canton, OH, USA; The 2022 NFL Draft cards of first-round picks Travon Walker (Jacksonville Jaguars), Aidan Hutchinson (Detroit Lions), Derek Stingley (Texans) and Ahmad Gardner (Jets) on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

He's Not Ruling Any Position Out in Next Year's Draft

The Giants have several building blocks already on their roster--left tackle Andrew Thomas, safety Xavier McKinney, quarterback Daniel Jones, edge Kayvon Thibodeaux, and running back Saaquon Barkley all come to mind.

But that doesn't mean that Schoen will cross off any position from his list of draft prospects.

"We have a top 10 report that I get weekly, and it's by position, so I'm trying to attack that entire thing," he said, revealing that he wants to see every single name on the team's top-100 prospect list in person. "So it won't affect, you know, how I'm scouting or who I'm gonna see. "

Pat's Take: It's hard to argue with that approach, as one never knows what might happen down the line. Take, for example, the receiver spot. Had the Giants been content with what they had at receiver before the draft, if you think the situation is bad now, it might have been worse had they not picked up Wan'Dale Robinson to be their slot guy for the future. As he's doing with free agents out there, Schoen continues to do due diligence in ensuring the coaching staff has the best possible talent to work with.

May 13, 2022; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll chats with New York Giants wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson (17) during rookie camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center / John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

The Coaches Have Done a Great Job Developing Young Talent

Some head coaches seem to be allergic to playing rookies and inexperienced players, so maybe they don't spend as much time developing those guys until they've been in the league a bit.

Not this coaching staff, though. Schoen praised head coach Brian Daboll and his staff for jumping in with young players to get them ready to play and showing patience with them while they cut their teeth.

"That's something that Coach (Bill) Parcells used to say to me: 'The quickest way for a head coach to get fired is not developing young talent,'" Schoen said. "(Daboll) and I are aligned in that. We saw it in Buffalo with some young players contributing to them. And I'm constantly on him about, 'Hey, we gotta get this guy more play time to keep developing these guys.' And the coaches have bought into it."

Pat's Take: This separates the great coaching staff from the mediocre ones, which is the willingness to be patient and teach players to be the best version of themselves.

The benefit of that is to create low-cost depth. If an experienced starter goes down and a younger player is ready to step in, the team doesn't have to scramble to find a replacement off the street, as the young player already knows the system.

For proof of how well this has worked, look at the cornerback, highly regarded as a weak spot for the team once it had to part with James Bradberry. Other positions that have stepped up and held their own when injuries have hit include defensive line, offensive line, and tight end.

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