Should Giants prioritize an edge rusher in free agency?
With the franchise tag deadline quickly approaching (it’s Tuesday, March 9), the New York Giants may be coming to the realization that they are not going be able to retain both their star defensive linemen.
Leonard Williams and Dalvin Tomlinson are both pending free agents, and with no tangible rumblings of any long-term contracts in the works, it looks as if Big Blue is going to have accept the inevitable.
They could tag one of these players in the next two days, but are currently just $2.585 million under the salary cap with their top 51 cap number just a shade over $10 million. It’s not enough to tag either player at the moment and not enough to go out into the free agent market on March 17 and make a splash.
Many feel they will get their financial house in order before then by releasing more players and restructuring some others’ contracts. But few believe that both Williams and Tomlinson will be Giants this fall. At best, they can hope to retain one.
That is why they will in the market for a pass rusher in both free agency and the draft. Draft analyst Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network said as much on a recent video cast.
“I’ve been told from people, or I’ve heard from people, inside the organization that a pass rusher is going to be their primary target in free agency,” Pauline said. “They need an edge rusher, they need a pass rusher, and it makes total sense for two reasons.”
The first reason is the one we outlined above. They will lose either Williams or Tomlinson and will have to replace that production. The second reason, as per Pauline, is the top pass rushing prospects in the draft don’t align with where the Giants’ select. None are worthy of the 11th overall pick and they’ll all likely to be gone when the Giants pick in Round 2 at No. 42.
“Number one. Where the Giants select in round one, it’s too early to take any of the top pass rushers. Whether it’d be Rousseau or Phillips from Miami, whether it’d be Azeez Ojulari from Georgia. Where they select in round two — the 42nd choice — all the top pass rushers are going to be off the board,” Pauline said.
That can easily be solved by general manager Dave Gettleman trading back in the first round, but doing that could mean passing up another glaring need — an offensive playmaker.
That is why Pauline sees the Giants making amore in free agency. But just who will they target?
“Who they sign will depend on how much money they have to play with,” Pauline said. “My own personal speculation, I haven’t heard any names, but if they get under the salary cap, a guy like Matt Judon of the Baltimore Ravens, I think, would be a perfect fit for them.”
Judon was a Pro Bowler in each of the last two seasons, racking up 9.5 sacks in 2019 and 6.0 last year in 13 starts. He’s 28 years old and in his prime but will likely cost just as much as it would if they tagged Tomlinson, which is around $12-13 million.
Other possibilities mentioned are Tampa Bay’s Shaq Barrett, Bud DuPree of Pittsburgh and yes, Olivier Vernon, although that move would be met with much apprehension by the fans.
