While much of The NFL feasts on the buffet of big-time free agents, and other clubs make big-time trades, the Giants seem happy to do most of their rebuilding through the draft.
Tom Brady may be the biggest free-agent signing in NFL history. But even the winter's second-tier moves are major. Cornerback Byron Jones signed with the Dolphins. Dante Fowler Jr signed with the Atlanta Falcons. DeAndre Hopkins was dealt to the Arizona Cardinals, and Darius Slay was traded to the Eagles.
Assuming the Giants don't grab the last few stars or studs on the market - such as Jadeveon Clowney, Melvin Gordon, or Robby Anderson - their offseason was far more muted. They will be content with signing Packers linebacker Blake Martinez, Panthers cornerback James Bradberry, and slap the franchise tag on the talented but underachieving defensive lineman Leonard Williams. While the Bucs got Brady and the Bears got Nick Foles, the G-Men got Colt McCoy.
Sarcasm aside, the Giants may have done the right thing by demurring on the orgy of free agency. Impatient teams are too quick to buy players rather than draft them. They'd rather overpay for veterans than develop their own.
So instead of blowing all of their considerable cap space - which was nearly $78 million after Rhett Ellison retired, according to USA Today - the Giants gently plugged some of their smaller holes. Signing LB Cameron Flemming, TE Levine Toilolo, LB Kyler Fackrell, and WR Cody Core won't wrench the bold ink from Brady's league-shifting move to Tampa. But they are subtle moves that leave Big Blue with about $15 million to spend, under a salary cap that has swelled by at least $10 million in each of the last seven seasons, according to CBSSPorts.com.
It's quite rare that Super Bowl teams made their signature move in March, with a trade, or by signing a singular free agent. The Packers did it when they stole Reggie White from the Eagles, and then the pass rusher nonpareil led Green Bay to a Super Bowl title. But how often is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, in his relative prime, to be had for nothing but cash? Plus, the Giants aren't one or two players from playoff contention.
In fact, the Giants could make more boring, though more effective, moves by dealing the fourth overall pick in The NFL Draft. They don't need any of the high-profile college quarterbacks entering the league, and they have almost no shot at the one player they would kill to have - Ohio State's maniacal edge rusher, Chase Young. Trade the pick to someone drooling over Justin Herbert or Tua Tagovailoa or Isaiah Simmons, and grab one of the granite offensive linemen who freckle the first round. Big Blue needs big-time help with blocking, and this is one of the deepest drafts in NFL history for all-world left tackles.
Georgia's Andrew Thomas, Iowa's Tristan Wirfs, and Louisville's hulking Mekhi Becton project to be plug-and-play pillars for the next decade. Giants GM Dave Gettleman loves to muse over his "Hog Mollies" in the middle of the line of scrimmage, where games are often won. It would be wise to address two of an NFL team's most important goals - protecting your quarterback and sacking your opponent's. Without Chase Young on the market, the former feels more doable than the latter. (Not to mention the Giants spent a first-round pick on a cornerstone defensive lineman, when they plucked Dexter Lawrence, with mixed results.)
We don't ask our teams to win in the winter, spring, or summer. Tape measures and stopwatches and upsides are the tools and buzzwords of the offseason. But as Don Shula famously said, the only stat that matters is up on that scoreboard.
To that end, the NFC East was the worst division in the NFL last year, producing one team (Eagles) with a winning record. It's not crazy to think Big Blue can make big strides in 2020 by making big strides in the draft, not with bold moves in free agency.
Twitter: @JasonKeidel
