New York Giants: Multistep Plan to Crush Free Agency

The Giants are at a critical stage in their rebuild. So here are a few things they'll likely want to accomplish this off-season if they're to crush free agency.

This off-season, New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman is going to earn his money as he faces the challenge of building up a roster despite some potentially limited financial resources.

What does Gettleman need to accomplish to crush this off-season and free agency in particular? Here is our proposed free-agency plan that, if the Giants can check all these boxes, will help create a roster that will be worlds better than the one they had last year.

Get Leonard Williams Signed Before Free Agency Begins

Reportedly, both the Giants and Leonard Williams are open to extending their year-and-a-half relationship, but to date, there hasn't been much movement on that front, which is concerning.

Part of that reason could stem from an unresolved grievance in which the Giants, and before them, the Jets, classified Williams as a defensive tackle rather than a defensive end. The ramification means that as a defensive tackle, Williams was paid less than a defensive end.

Could that debate have spilled into this offseason and his contract negotiations? That's certainly possible, especially since Williams' grievances have yet to be heard or settled. But if that's the case and the Giants want to be proactive in getting Williams on the road to signing a long-term deal, perhaps splitting the difference with him might be the way to go in his negotiations.

Find a Way to Re-sign Dalvin Tomlinson

Yes, run-stuffing defensive tackles are a dime a dozen, but in Dalvin Tomlinson, the Giants have a homegrown talent who, if he hits free agency, will almost certainly draw an offer from a team with more cap space that the Giants will find hard to match.

To be clear, there is a way for the Giants to retain Tomlinson and re-sign Leonard Williams.

• RELATED: Can New York Giants Keep Leonard Williams and Dalvin Tomlinson?

It's a longshot, but if the team can keep the combined salary cap numbers in the first year of those two contracts to around $15 million, it is possible to have both back.

The Giants have had a disturbing history of letting their homegrown draft picks--yes, even the ones retaining--walk out the door. That's not how you build a franchise, and it's hard to envision a better time for that practice to cease than right now and with Tomlinson.

Extend Safety Jabrill Peppers

While all the attention lands on tight end Evan Engram and the $6+ million he's owed in the option year of his contract, no one is talking about safety Jabrill Peppers and the fact that he too is about to enter the option year of his contract which will pay him $6.77 million.

In Peppers, Logan Ryan, and Xavier McKinney, the Giants finally have a three safety set that appears to be on par with Deone Grant, Kenny Phillips, and Antrel Rolle from the 2011 Super Bowl team.

Suppose the organization agrees that Peppers is a big part of that future. In that case, every effort should be made to lower his cap number and get him signed for the long-term before they have to start worrying about Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley, and Dexter Lawrence II next off-season.

Get, But Don't Overspend on a Receiver

In a perfect world, the Giants will be able to come out of the 2021 free agency period with a blue-chip free agent wide receiver, such as Allen Robinson of the Bears or Kenny Golladay of the Lions.

But we don't live in a perfect world, and if the Giants by now haven't learned that overspending in free agency on a position--especially one that's deep in the draft--isn't the way to go, then there is no hope for the current regime.

Need more convincing of why it’s not the best idea in the world to go crazy on spending for a receiver?

In 2019, those receivers with the highest average per year salary included Tyrell Williams (Raiders, $11 million), Antonio Brown (Patriots, $5 million), Devin Funchess (Colts, $10 million), Jamison Crowder (Jets, $9.5 M) Golden Tate (Giants, $9.375 million), Adam Humphries (Titans, $9 million), John Brown (Bills, $9 million) and Cole Beasley (Bills, $7.25 million).

Of that group, the only one who's yielded any kind of decent return on his investment is Beasley, who in two seasons with the Bills, has 149 receptions for 1,745 yards and ten touchdowns.

This isn't to say the Giants should avoid free agency for a receiver, but with a deep draft class that's said to be loaded with potential No. 1 receiver types, why spend the big money when they can get a rising prospect on a rookie deal?

Wayne Gallman runs through a drill during a 2020 Giants training camp practice in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Gallman is an unrestricted free agent / Giants.com

5. Find a Quality Backup Running Back

So far, so good as far as running back Saquon Barkley's rehab from a torn ACL, but if nothing else, the Giants have hopefully learned the importance of having a viable second option who can step in and ensure the running game doesn't miss a beat.

• RELATED: New York Giants Potential Free Agent Target: RB Mike Davis, Carolina

Last year, that was Wayne Gallman, who is a free agent and who might not be back with the club. If they lose Gallman, they'll want to get a solid back whose skill set matches Barkley's as close as possible, especially if they are planning to ease Barkley back into handling roster workloads once he gets the green light to return to the field.

Keep Working on the Offensive Line

Although the Giants have second-year tackle matt Peart on the roster, there is no way he should be simply handed the job. The Giants need to prioritize finding Peart competition, whether that's re-signing Cam Fleming or another prospect (Ricky Wagner?) who can challenge for the job.

• RELATED: Why The New York Giants Should Keep Kevin Zeitler

And while the Giants are at it, it might be nice if they settle on who their starting left guard is now that they have an idea what Shane Lemieux and Will Hernandez bring to the table.

Add a Pass Rusher

The Giants have Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines, but neither has established himself as a consistent threat that the Giants have been missing since trading away Jason Pierre-Paul.

• RELATED: New York Giants Potential Free Agent Target: OLB Samson Ebukam

The Giants could probably get a lot more done defensively if they can find another pass rusher, especially with Carter and Ximines returning from season-ending injuries.

Although pass rushers aren't cheap, the Giants might be better off rolling the dice on a young ascending player such as Samson Ebukan. Assuming he hits free agency and isn't traded, an older option is Miami's Kyle Van Noy, a player in whom the Giants reportedly had interest last year.

Figure Out the Cornerback 2 Mystery

Isaac Yiadom? Julian Love? Sam Beal? Someone else?

• RELATED: Is Julian Love the Giants' Answer at Cornerback No. 2?

That's the big question the Giants must resolve, and this is one worth watching. At the 2020 scouting combine, when asked about Beal,  Gettleman, who spent a third-round pick to get him in the 2018 supplemental draft, remarked that had Beal been coming out in the 2019 draft, he would have had a second-round grade.

The problem with Beal in 2019 was the injury bug struck again, limiting him to about half a season. Still, the Giants were encouraged by what they saw. Unfortunately, that was all they saw as Beal opted out of last season amid COVID-19 concerns.

There has been some early talk that he is planning to return in 2021, but the Giants might be ready to move on from him, given the cornerback class in the draft is said to be a good one.

Regardless, if the Giants agree that cornerback is one of the critical positions on a football team, they better figure out who to pair opposite of James Bradberry sooner than later.

Trim More Dead Weight from the Salary Cap

The Giants are off to a good start as far as trimming contracts that no longer are productive enough to keep, but they have a lot more to accomplish in this regard if they're to have salary-cap space in which to operate.

As of press time, tight end Levine Toilolo, receiver Cody Core, and tackle Nate Solder are still on the roster, and all have heavy contracts.

• RELATED: Shaping a Competitive New York Giants' 2021 Off-season Salary Cap Plan

The removal of their respective contracts, a few restructures (Sterling Shepard, Riley Dixon, to name a few), and extensions (Jabrill Peppers) would certainly go a long way toward clearing out more money to allow the team to do what they need to do.

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