With player signings no longer affecting the compensatory pick formula, the second wave of NFL free agency is officially underway.
It comes as no surprise that just about every top free agent has already been signed.
However, while the marquee names may be gone, there are still some good football players left on the market that could likely be had at a bargain rate.
For a team crunched for cap space like the Giants, this should come as welcome news.
Big Blue addressed a lot of the team’s biggest needs in last month’s draft, but that doesn’t mean they don’t still have some holes to fill on the roster. Most recently, Mike Remmers’ agent, Brett Tessler, announced that the veteran offensive tackle has agreed to a deal with the Giants.
USA Today Images OLB Shane Ray
Many were surprised to see the Giants wait until the third round of last month’s draft to select an edge rusher. The front office loves Oshane Ximines’ potential, but more likely than not the rookie out of Old Dominion will need a year to develop his skill set. New York could use an additional pass rusher to add to their current group of Markus Golden and Lorenzo Carter, and with his 26th birthday right around the corner, Ray could be just the guy the Giants are looking for.
Ray is a former first-round pick who had a strong 2016 campaign, racking up eight sacks, 48 total tackles and a forced fumble in 16 games (but only eight starts). Ray has had trouble staying healthy in the two years since, appearing in just 19 games over the last two seasons. But if he can regain his 2016 form, the Giants would be getting an absolute steal as a late free agent addition to the team. At the very least, Ray could serve as a stop-gap solution until Ximines is ready to contribute more down the road.
There are still several teams out there looking for more pass rushers, so there may be competition for Ray. I don’t expect the Giants to get into a bidding war for him, but if he can be signed at a reasonable rate, Dave Gettleman could look to sign the former Bronco to a short-term deal.
WR Jermaine Kearse
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On paper, it may not seem like the Giants need another wide receiver. With the way the offense is currently constructed, New York would likely lean on either Corey Coleman or Cody Latimer as the team’s number three wide receiver. While this may not be the worst thing in the world, the Giants could certainly do better, especially considering the fact that the WR corps is missing their best player from last year in Odell Beckham Jr.
Kearse has dropped just 23 passes on 469 targets throughout his career. His steady hands, combined with his 4.4 speed, would provide Big Blue with a legitimate downfield threat, something the team is currently missing. No offense to 5th round pick Darius Slayton, but how many dropped balls did we count during last week’s rookie minicamp? Exactly.
At 6-foot-1, 210-pounds, Kearse is the type of big-bodied receiver that can provide a big boost to the run game as well, something Shurmur values highly. If the Giants can add him on a minimum deal, Kearse could be the final piece to Big Blue’s wide receiver group.
DE/OLB Derrick Morgan
While Ray makes the most sense due to his youth, the Giants could go a different route and instead choose to pursue a veteran pass rusher to mentor some of the team’s younger players. If Gettleman decides to do this, then Morgan could easily be the man New York targets. The 30-year-old veteran has spent his entire nine-year career with the Titans, recording 44.5 sacks and five forced fumbles during his time in Tennessee.
Morgan is coming off his worst season, as the edge rusher picked up only 0.5 sacks in 13 games. He had just 23 pressures, 18 hurries and 10 tops in 532 snaps, meaning his days as a starter could be over. But that may be perfect with the Giants’ plans. By adding Morgan, the Giants could still use Golden and Carter as the team’s primary edge rushers, while mixing in Morgan and Ximines for a certain number of snaps each game. Having Morgan contribute in a limited role, exclusively on passing downs, would likely benefit the Giants’ overall pass rush.
He may no longer be in his prime, but keep in mind, Morgan had his two highest season-sack totals in 2016 (9.0) and 2017 (7.5). While 2018 was a disaster, it would not be a stretch of the imagination to see Morgan revert back to his old form and contribute 5 or so sacks in 2019.
DE/OLB Nick Perry
Perry had a down year for the Packers in 2018. The pass rusher competed in only nine games before heading to the injured reserve, making it the second consecutive season in which the veteran finished the season on the IR. In the nine games he did appear in, Perry recorded 1.5 sacks, 24 total tackles and one forced fumble. During his seven-year career, all of which was spent in Green Bay, Perry failed to remain on the field for all 16 games even once.
Signing Perry would undoubtedly come with some big injury concerns. But when healthy, there is no denying the boost Perry can provide to a team’s pass rush. The 6-foot-3, 265-pound OLB picked up 7.0 sacks in 12 games in 2018, and added 11.0 sacks in 14 games in 2017. While he may have trouble staying on the field, Perry has proven that when he does play, he is more than capable of getting after the quarterback.
Similar to Ray, I don’t see Gettleman getting into a bidding war to add Perry’s services. Miami has shown some interest in the veteran, as has Seattle, although the addition of Ziggy Ansah likely takes the Seahawks off the market for another pass rusher. The Giants could use another pass rusher, and adding Perry could be just the low-risk, high-reward signing Big Blue’s defense needs.
ILB Josh Bynes
The Giants appear set at the middle linebacker position with Alec Ogletree and B.J. Goodson, but that doesn’t mean they won’t look to add more depth. With the team going into its second year under defensive coordinator James Bettcher, Gettleman has added several former Cardinals to Big Blue’s defense over the last 14 months. Could Bynes be the next Cardinal to sign in New York?
Bettcher and Bynes spent only one season together in Arizona. Playing in a limited role that year, Bynes totaled 36 tackles, one sack, an interception and two forced fumbles. However it was his performance in 2018 that truly put him on the map. Bynes started in 11 games last season before a thumb injury ended his season early. In those contests, the inside linebacker finished with 75 total tackles, two sacks and five passes defended. This was easily the most productive campaign of Bynes’ eight-year career.
Bynes will turn 30 during the preseason, which means his best football days may be behind him. While inside linebacker is far from a glaring need for Big Blue, it would not come as a surprise to see Gettleman attempt to lure another former Cardinal to the Giants at a bargain rate. While I wouldn’t hold my breath on this one, you never know what could happen.