Potential Free Agent Targets on Offense That Make Sense for Giants

The Giants won't have a lot of cap space to work with this year when it comes to filling some roster holes. But if they look hard enough, they're sure to find some veteran values that could become key role players.

Due to their tight cap situation, the Giants aren’t expected to be significant players in free agency, which officially opens in a week. But with an offense in dire need of talent at practically every position, that doesn’t mean the Giants will pass up a chance to add some veteran level help to steady the ship.

Let’s take a look at some potentially low-cost free agent signings for the Giants that could make some sense on the offensive side of the ball.

Jan 2, 2022; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Ronald Jones (27) carries the ball as New York Jets middle linebacker C.J. Mosley (57) pursues during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

RB Ronald Jones II, Bucs

Last week, the Giants made Devontae Booker a cap casualty and now have an opening for a backup running back behind projected starter Saquon Barkley. While the draft will be in play, they might want to go with someone who has experience with pass protection at the NFL level, a skill that younger players often take time to learn well enough to be trusted on the field.

Tampa Bay’s Ronald Jones II could potentially fit that bill. In 95 career pass-block snaps, Jones has allowed 14 pressures (91.2 pass-block efficiency rating), with just two of those being sacks.

Jones, like Booker, is also a reliable receiver out of the backfield, having caught 76 out of 102 pass targets (74.5 percent) for 571 yards and one touchdown. Jones, who in 2020 recorded his lone 1,000-yard rushing season to date, has 18 career rushing touchdowns and an average of 4.4 yards per carry to go along with a career average of 3.09 yards after contact, while also having forced 85 missed tackles over his four seasons.

If there is one concern about Jones’s game, it’s been his ball security. He’s recorded seven career fumbles over the last three years in 500 rushing attempts, but hopefully, that’s something coaching can help clean up in the 25-year-old.

Just 25 years old, the Bucs’ second-round pick in 2018 should be an affordable option if the Giants want to go the veteran route in finding someone who can not only back up Barkley but also take on some of the snaps if the plan is to move toward more of a one-two punch in the running game.

Spotrac projects a market value of $2.7 million per year for Jones based on a two-year, $5.571 million contract. That’s roughly in the neighborhood of what Booker initially got for a contract, but Jones, remember, is 25 years old as compared to Booker, who is approaching 30.

Dec 5, 2021; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Denver Broncos tight end Eric Saubert (82) warms up against the Kansas City Chiefs before the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

TE Eric Saubert, Broncos

The Giants could find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to the tight end position.

They’ve cut Kyle Rudolph, a move that had to be made given his cap number and lack of production. Meanwhile, Evan Engram is set to become an unrestricted free agent in a market that suddenly seems to be perking up for veteran tight ends.

Engram, O.J. Howard, and Zach Ertz figure to be the top free-agent tight ends on the market. And although we don’t yet have a strong sense of what new head coach Brian Daboll has in mind for the tight end spot—the Bills, remember, ran a league-high 71 percent 11-personnel, which would suggest a higher priority for receivers—the Giants are still going to need tight ends.

Kaden Smith remains on the roster, but his season ended with a knee injury that he couldn’t manage, and it’s unknown if he’d even be able to pass a physical at this point.

There is also a growing number of draft analysts that are less than enthusiastic about the tight end class this year.

The Giants probably won’t go crazy to land a tight end, but a short-term solution could be Denver’s Eric Saubert, 6-foot-5, 253 pounds, and a former fifth-round pick of the Falcons in 2017. Saubert’s bread and butter has been his blocking—in 422 blocking snaps, he’s allowed just five pressures and has not given up a sack.

Saubert hasn’t been deployed much as a receiver, though. He’s been targeted 27 times and has 18 receptions for 132 yards and one touchdown, and 67 yards after the catch.

That kind of production doesn’t scream “TE1,” but with the Giants needing to revamp their offensive line, having a solid blocker as their TE2 who last year played on a one-year contract worth $990K and who shouldn’t be ultra-expensive to sign, could be an option.

Jan 9, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) rushes with the ball during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at Allegiant Stadium / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

QB Marcus Mariota, Raiders

The rumor mill concerning the Giants making a run at Bills backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky picked up some steam last week. That said, so too did rumors of the Commanders and Steelers, two teams looking for an answer for their starting quarterbacks, also having an interest in Trubisky, the second overall pick in the 2017 draft.

While Trubisky is an intriguing player, it's hard to see this making sense for the Giants if they are as committed to giving Daniel Jones as they have claimed since last season ended.

That said, the Giants still need to address their backup quarterback position with someone who is in a little better position to give Jones a nudge this spring and summer. Marcus Mariota brings experience (which the recently signed Davis Webb currently doesn't have).

The 28-year-old Mariota has a career completion percentage of 62.8 percent (same as Jones), has thrown for 13,437 yards with 77 touchdowns to 45 interceptions, and has a career won-loss record as a starter of 29-32.

Mariota initially signed a two-year, $17.6 million deal before the 2020 season with the Raiders. That deal was reworked to where his 2021 cap number was reduced to $3.5 million, plus he received a no-trade clause.

The Giants could potentially lure Mariota east with a two-year incentive-laden contract that includes escalators for playtime should Jones have to miss games (as he's done every year since coming to the Giants, and performance incentives).

As for the value of the deal, it would likely have to be similar to the original two-year deal Mariota initially linked with the Raiders, with the guaranteed money frontloaded.

Tennessee Titans center Ben Jones (60) warms up before the start of their game against the 49ers at Nissan Stadium Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021 in Nashville, Tenn :: Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

C Ben Jones, Titans

With the Giants needing to restock the offensive line (both starters and reserves), New York will likely use a combination of the draft and free agency to accomplish this goal.

The question is, where do they go with free agency versus the draft? Well, if the latest mock draft projections are any indication, the Giants could potentially end up with one of the top three projected college tackles (Evan Neal, Ikem Ekwonu, and Charles Cross). 

If this happens, then the Giants will probably look to free agency to beef up their interior, where they currently have two returning players (guard Shane Lemieux and center Nick Gates) coming off season-ending injuries.

The Giants haven’t offered an update on where Lemieux and Gates are, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Gates (broken leg) isn’t ready to go by the summer. And even if he is ready to go, Gates, entering the final year of his contract, projects better at guard, which, if the coaches agree, would leave the center position open.

If the Giants cannot land Tyler Linderbaum on Day 2, then a short-term solution could be Titans center Ben Jones. The 32-year-old Jones, a fourth-round pick by the Houston in 2012, is still playing solid ball, the majority of his career snaps coming at center (he’s also played over 1,200 snaps at left guard). Jones has a career 97.8 pass-blocking efficiency rating, having allowed just 28 sacks over his 10-year career.

Jones has also been the model of durability, missing just one game (that in 2019) in his NFL career. Overall, he’s appeared in 160 games with 139 starts.

Jones wouldn’t come cheap, but then again, when we’re talking offensive line, it’s probably not a good idea to skimp on a unit that’s been a problem for years. If we’re looking for a potential contract for Jones, we might look at what the 49ers gave Alex Mack, a three-year deal worth $15 million, an average of about $5 million per season. 

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