Seven Takeaways from the New York Giants Media Sessions

General Manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Joe Judge held their pre-free agency press conferences (usually conducted at the combine) Tuesday. Here are some takeaways and notes.

Some leftover thoughts on what was discussed during the Giants media availability sessions with general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Joe Judge. 

1. First, a word about the NFL franchise tag activity that took place at the deadline. Surprisingly, not a single pass rusher (other than for Leonard Williams, but he doesn’t count for the sake of this point) was franchised, and that got me thinking…

If you’re the Giants, a team that should have enough money to make one big splash in free agency, do you maybe look to focus on one of the free agents-to-be pass-rushers instead o a number one receiver like Kenny Golladay of the Lions (who wasn’t franchised)?

The receiver class in this coming draft is deep—rally deep. I’ve had several draft analysts tell me that it's so deep that there is a solid value in just about every round. Meanwhile, the edge rusher class is okay.

Considering that teams are going to be pressed as far as cash they can dole out, do you offer a Matt Judon or a Haason Reddick a two- or three-year deal that would allow him back into the market for a bigger payday?

When asked about how realistic it was to fill both the edge rusher and receiver spots in one season, Gettleman himself reminded the questioner that the draft existed as an option. So could this be the way Gettleman is leaning?

It wouldn’t shock me.

2. When Gettleman was asked about Daniel Jones, there was a slight hint of defensiveness in his voice when asked if there was any temptation to look at some of the other veteran quarterbacks around the league who are on the move.

We’ve had Daniel for two years; we’ve done the evaluation on him and we really believe he’s the guy. No reason to go look. What we’re doing isn’t fantasy football. We’ve got a conviction on him, he’s everything we want, he’s got all the physical skills and again I say this all the time, the kid just finished his second year of NFL football. How many of us after two years at our new job were great? No, we all start at point A and we hopefully get to point Z, but the one common denominator is it takes time.

To be fair here, Jones did play in a new system with no off-season or preseason. He lost his star running back. His receivers let him down, and his offensive line had some moments. So Jones’s slow path to progress isn’t all on him.

But this argument about people who are great at their jobs after two years is a poor excuse if you consider how Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson all took that solid step forward. Then again, you could make the argument that they had a stronger supporting cast and the benefit of a consistent system.

• READ: What's Next After New York Giants Franchise-Tag Leonard Williams?

3. Might this finally be the year the Giants trade back in the first round of the draft? Gettleman spoke of how teams will have the most information on the top 100-150 guys, which in reading between the lines sounds as though there is a greater risk of errors to be made once you get outside of the fourth round.

So if that’s the case, wouldn’t it behoove the Giants, who really need to have another solid draft class this year but who only have six picks with which to do so, to try to pick up as many assets within the top 150 as possible?

If one of Ja’Marr Chase, Devonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, or Kyle Pitts isn’t sitting there at No. 11, trading out of the first round and picking up an extra two and three, for example, is almost akin to a high performing stock splitting. And as previously noted, there appears to be a lot of value in this draft's second and third rounds.

Here’s what Gettleman had to say about potentially trading back:

I think that you can make the argument that you’re going to have the most information on the top 100-150 guys, and as you work backward because of a lack of touch and whatever, you’re not going to have as much information or have as much confidence in your ability to work your way through that group. You can make the argument to trade back because of this thing. 

Just because Gettleman sees the logic in trading back doesn’t mean that’s what the Giants will do. But he sure did sound more open to the possibility, perhaps even more open than I can recall.

4. I found myself disagreeing with his response about renegotiating contracts to lower cap numbers given the anticipated tight cap.

Here’s what Gettleman said in response to the question:

The goal to best manage the cap is to get flat contracts. So, if a guy is making $15 million – it’s a 3-year deal at $45 million – you’d like to have a $15 million cap number every year. Once you start restructuring or renegotiating, you usually back-end load them. What you’re doing is you’re kicking the can, so it depends upon how much pain you want to deal with. … It’s a philosophical conversation, but it’s not a good place to get to, to constantly restructure and renegotiate.

He's correct to a degree—that’s one of the reasons why the Eagles and Saints have a mess on their hands. But this is not a normal year for the salry cap as for only the second time in its history it has decreased. 

Money saved today can potentially open up much more cap space down the line, especially if future caps return to their pre-pandemic estimates. And with teams having to potentially cut rosters to the bone, if there ever was a time to kick the can down the road, this would be the year.  

• READ: Why New York Giants Are Still Bullish on Daniel Jones

5. I was asked in a mailbag about Rob Sale, the new offensive line coach, and what he brings to the table.

Joe Judge was asked that question as well, and since his opinion matters way more than mine, here’s what he had to say.

Rob is an excellent teacher. He’s a great, high-energy coach and very detailed on the field. His guys respond to him. ... What I’ve seen with Rob is some of the guys he’s developed in the programs he’s been in where he’s truly had to mold them and bring them along both from their physical development as well as their mental understanding and their on-field performance. 

Judge seems to favor a by-committee approach when it comes to his staff. But I couldn’t help but wonder if having too many cooks in the kitchen might spoil the recipe. 

Only time will tell, of course, but on the bright side, the amount of resources devoted to helping groom the offensive line shows the sense of urgency this team has in getting that unit right.

• READ: Dave Gettleman Defends Work Done on New York Giants O-Line

6. Judge was asked about tight end Evan Engram and came out with this glowing response.

I love Evan. I have a ton of confidence in Evan. He’s fun to coach, the guys have fun playing with him, and he gives everyone in the locker room a ton of confidence. This guy goes out there every day, and this guy works tirelessly. This guy is a tank every day, so in terms of confidence within the program, absolutely we have confidence in him, 100 percent.

The next time Judge says something even remotely negative about a player will be a first. But with that said, if the coaches are that high on Engram, then why not see about getting that $6+ million cap number lower—or will they instead look to lower Jabrill Peppers’ $6+ million number (which makes more sense at this point)?

Unless, of course, there is just a smidgen of doubt.

7. When Judge began an answer about Nate Solder and guard Kevin Zeitler with, “I’d say both those players are players that are under contract and currently on our roster,” that sure didn’t sound like those two players, who are now the fourth and fifth-highest cap figures on the team (and who would represent a combined $18 million in savings if both of their contracts were lopped off pre-June 1) might be on the roster much longer.

Judge did say later in his answer they were guys they’d love to have back, but you still can't help but wonder if he tipped the team's hand regarding a couple of pending roster moves involving those two offensive linemen.

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