The mail’s here!
Alex Sunderland asks: Really liked the recent column on Schoen’s drafting through the years.
It got me wondering just how much he felt limited by the lack of basic tech he inherited from Gettleman. If I recall correctly, it was a literal magnet board upon his hiring.
Do you know specifically some of what was overhauled? How bad was it, and how good is it compared to now?
Ed says: Alex, I am sure not having the setup he was used to in Buffalo was a nuisance during that first offseason. The way the Giants scouts had been trained to grade prospects and build reports was different than the way Schoen wanted it done, and there wasn’t time to re-train the staff and revise how things were done before that draft.
The Giants built a completely new technology-rich draft room after that offseason that gave Schoen all the tools he wanted. Schoen also replace several scouts and revamped the front office by bringing in several people he had worked with previously and trusted.
I do believe all of that — having the tools he wants, scouts he trusts and who are trained to evaluate and write reports giving Schoen and Brian Daboll the information they are looking for, and front office executives he wanted around him — is part of why Schoen’s last two drafts have been well-received.
Brian Misdom asks: Schoen is receiving mostly high praise for his work in the draft. Coupled with his moves in FA, it has been generally viewed as a strong offseason.
Schoen did though, spend the fourth-most of any team in FA this year. Previous regimes have, at best, seen very short-lived success with major retooling in the offseason.
Do you see Schoen’s moves as having a greater chance for sustainable success and if so, how would you see it being different from Reese and Gettleman when they splurged for quick gratification?
Ed says: Brian, to have a chance for sustainable success you have to draft well, then develop those players and try to build a core of players deserving of second contracts. The 2024 and 2025 drafts appear to be a step in the right direction, though we still need to see the proof on the field.
Free agency is generally for filling holes in the short term. I was actually a bit surprised by the number of free agents Schoen signed this offseason. He took a volume approach on the defensive line, linebacker and even added two potential swing tackles.
What Schoen did not do, and really has not done at all in free agency, is overpay.
In 2016, Jerry Reese gave Olivier Vernon five years, $82.5 million, Damon Harrison five years, $46.5 million and Janoris Jenkins five years and $62.5 million.
In 2021, Gettleman gave Kenny Golladay four years and $72 million ($40 million guaranteed) while bidding against himself and ignoring Golladay’s 2020 hip injury.
This offseason, Schoen gave Paulson Adebo three years and $54 million, Jevon Holland three years and $45.3 million and Chauncey Golston three years and $18 million. He can get out of all three deals with minimal pain after two years.
That’s a big difference from the previous splurges. Pretty much everything else Schoen did involved one-year deals the Giants could pretty painlessly get out of even this year if a player like Jeremiah Ledbetter ($500K in dead money) were to be cut.
Matt Peters asks: With no new wide receivers added in the draft does Jalin Hyatt or Bryce Ford-Wheaton have a better shot at earning snaps on offense this season?
Ed says: Matt, I honestly believe both Hyatt and Ford-Wheaton will enter the summer on the roster bubble.
The Giants added two veteran free agent wide receivers and I will be surprised if one, Lil’ Jordan Humphrey, does not make the roster. They have also reportedly signed SIX undrafted free agent receivers. That is a crazy high number. It tells me they are looking to revamp the bottom of the receiver depth chart.
We will see how it all plays out, but I won’t be surprised at all if one or both Hyatt and Ford-Wheaton do not make the final roster.
Michael S. Knopf asks: How do you think drafting of Jaxson Dart impacts Mike Kafka’s role for NYG this season? Who will take the lead in Dart’s development? Will Daboll let Kafka be Dart’s quarterback whisperer or will Daboll try to do that himself? And does this impact who will call plays on offense? Is this Kafka’s chance to finally shine and is he up for the task? Seems like he is being underutilized right now.
Ed says: Michael, I won’t argue that Kafka seems under-utilized by the Giants.
I do not know at this point in time what the development plan for Dart will be, or who will lead it. I am sure Brian Daboll will be as involved as he can be, but he is going to have to pass off some tasks to Kafka or quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney.
We don’t know who will call plays, and won’t officially know for several months. A good indicator will be who is doing it during OTAs and mandatory mini-camp.
I am asking around to try and find out more about how Daboll worked with Josh Allen, and what a development plan for a rookie quarterback might look like.
Joseph Niczky asks: How do the Giants balance developing Jaxson Dart vs. getting ready for games this season? Dart is likely to be the third-string QB at the start of the season and, barring catastrophe, is unlikely to see any playing time in meaningful situations this year. Third-string QBs do not typically get many first-team reps, and any first-team reps Dart does get likely means fewer ones for Russell Wilson (or Jameis Winston). How did other teams who drafted QBs who they did not intend to start in year one (such as the Packers with Jordan Love) handle it?
Ed says: Joseph, I don’t know how other teams have handled this situation. I would think every team and every situation is different.
Daboll said after the draft that Dart will get a “fair amount” of reps with the third team. Throughout OTAs, mini-camp and the early part of training camp, the third- and even fourth-team players are getting nearly as many reps as the first- and second-team guys. Daboll also said Dart would get sprinkled in with the second- and maybe even first-team occasionally to see how he handles it.
The No. 3 quarterback takes only scout-team reps once the season starts. There is a lot that goes into developing a young quarterback that happens off the field and behind the scenes. The practice reps are just a small part of that.
Before Eli Manning took over as the Giants’ starting quarterback in the middle of the 2004 season, Tom Coughlin used to make Manning study the opposing team’s blitz package and prepare a report each week. That is just a small example of making a young quarterback learn NFL defenses, and learn the preparation that will teach him how to deal with the best defensive players in the world.
As we get into OTAs, mini-camp, training camp and the season we will have more opportunities to talk to Daboll, Dart and the other coaches about the things being done off the practice field.
Jeffrey Jacobs asks: Well, now that the dust has settled on the draft, I can say that overall I’m very pleased – with one glaring exception. Aside from Mbow, the Giants did very little to improve their O-Line. If everything goes as well as it possibly can, I don’t see how this group gets to even league-average and given the brutal schedule we’re facing, it looks like another 3-5 win season. I recognize that not every need can be addressed in a single draft, but I’nm very concerned, and at this super early point I can see a scenario where the 2026 draft goes very heavy on the offensive line.
What do you think?
Ed says: Jeffrey, you aren’t the only one with this concern. I hear it a lot. Here is the thing about that concern, though. I think it is overblown.
Fact is, the Giants were a league-average offensive line last year before Andrew Thomas was injured. Thomas played in six games last season and at that time Pro Football Focus has the Giants’ offensive line ranked 18th in the NFL. That is, basically, league average.
In PFF’s end-of-season rankings, the Giants were 23rd. Pro Football Network had the Giants 28th as season’s end.
The Giants gave up 14 sacks in the first six games (2.3 per game), and 34 in the final 11 (3.09 per game) without Thomas.
I am not sure how much more anyone could have asked Joe Schoen to do this offseason. He addressed the swing tackle issue with the signing of James Hudson III. Not a great player, but a real swing tackle who would allow Jermaine Eleumunor to stay at right tackle if Thomas is injured again.
In free agency, the Giants were in on Will Fries, the top guard on the market. Fries got an exorbitant five-year, $85 million contract from the Minnesota Vikings. The Giants weren’t going near that deal. Aaron Banks got a four-year, $77 million contract from the Green Bay Packers. Again, that’s a price point the Giants were not going to entertain.
So, they went to Plan B and brought back Greg Van Roten and Aaron Stinnie.
In the draft, they gave up their second-round pick to get Jaxson Dart. They used the third-round pick on defensive tackle Darius Alexander. I don’t hear a lot of complaints about that. They chose between Mbow and running back Cam Skattebo in Round 4 and ended up getting both.
So, I think two things. I think the situation on the line is not as dire as many make it out to be, and I think Schoen did as much as he could — even if might not be as much as he hoped to do.
Wally P. asks: Is there any chance the Giants cut Gano? He’s been very injured lately and is pretty old at this point.
I think it makes sense from a cap savings point of view, and his replacement is already on the roster!
Jude McAtamney started vs Washington (game 2) last year and nailed both of his FG and XP attempts and sent 4 of 5 kickoffs for touchbacks.
What are your thoughts?
Ed says: Wally, I thought there was a chance the Giants would cut placekicker Graham Gano and defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches before free agency started.
In regards to Gano specifically, I still think there is a chance the 37-year-old doesn’t make the roster. Per Over the Cap, the Giants are last in the league with just $1.103 million in cap space. They need $10.46 million to sign their rookie class, and probably another $12-15 million beyond that to operate through the 2025 season.
Cutting Gano would save $4.415 million against the cap.
In terms of McAtamney, I’m not at all sure he would be the replacement. Yes, the Giants carried him on the practice squad a year ago as an international exemption. Yes, he kicked in one game. But, this is a kid who made just 12 of 18 field goals for Rutgers in 2022 and wasn’t deemed good enough to keep the placekicking job in 2023.
If the Giants were to cut Gano, I would expect them to bring in an experienced kicker and have a competition — if not just give the veteran the job outright.
David Kanter asks: I’m coming out of draft week pretty excited and hopeful! So many players I can’t wait to see. I felt that way coming out of the 2023 draft as well. Now that we are two years removed from that draft can you identify any successful picks from that draft? I can’t.
Ed says: David, at this point it is absolutely fair to be disappointed by the production from the 2023 class. I am not going to nitpick the Day 3 selections, but it is worth discussing the first three picks.
First, let’s turn back the clock. This is a draft that was well-received. Chad Reuter of NFL.com gave it an A-. Pete Prisco of CBS gave the draft a B+ and called Jalin Hyatt the Giants’ best pick. Most analysts thought Deonte Banks had the tools to be really good, and believed John Michael Schmitz would be solid at center.
Banks had a rough 2024 season. It isn’t fair to hold him to Sauce Gardner/Derek Stingley standards because those are top 5 picks, but he showed promise as a rookie. He still has all the necessary tools, but 2025 will be a big year for his career.
Schmitz did improve in 2024, with his Pro Football Focus grade jumping 20 points. In pass blocking, PFF shows Schmitz allowed 30 pressures in 484 snaps as a rookie, but only 28 in 646 snaps (almost 200 more) last season. So, don’t write him off just yet.
Many thought getting Hyatt in a Round 3 trade up with the Los Angeles Rams was a coup. He has been a disappointment. I think it’s possible that Hyatt finds himself fighting for a roster spot this summer.
Ray Kochert asks: We have signed several UDFA wide receivers. Do you see any of them on the opening day 53-man roster?
Ed says: Ray, yes. Check my recent 53-man roster projection. I have no idea if I selected the right one, but signing two veteran free agent and six undrafted free agent wide receivers is a clear tell that the Giants want to remake the bottom of their wide receiver depth chart.
Andrew Martin asks: It seems like the Giants have the potential to have a great defense this year after all the offseason upgrades, but it also feels like there will need to be some finesse in terms of scheme to help this defense unlock its peak potential (i.e., figuring out how to make best use of all their pass rushers, adjusting their coverage scheme to reflect the strengths of their DB personnel, etc.). Do you feel like Shane Bowen has the chops as defensive coordinator to turn this group into a top defense? Do you think he has the creativity and flexibility that will likely be needed to maximize the potential of these players?
Ed says: Andrew, I know that this is a concern among Giants fans. There is an impression that Bowen runs a scheme and doesn’t vary it enough based on his personnel. I don’t know that that is correct.
Yes, the Giants played more zone coverage under Bowen than Wink Martindale and that didn’t fit the skill set of Deonte Banks. Yes, Bobby Okereke struggled to figure out how to get himself into position to make plays last season in Bowen’s run defense. Yes, you want him to figure out how to get the best out of both of those players, as well as how to use Abdul Carter effectively.
The Giants’ 27.9% blitz rate last season wasn’t what fans got used to under Martindale, but it was higher than at any time during Bowen’s three-year tenure as defensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans. That 27.9% blitz rate was ninth-most in the league, per Pro Football Reference.
The Giants under Bowen played man coverage 31.6% of the time, also ninth-most in the league. The league average for man-to-man coverage was 26.8%. So, the impression that the scheme was overly zone-oriented might not be correct.
When Dexter Lawrence was lost for the season Bowen altered the Giants’ run defense to utilize more straight three-man fronts, and that helped cover for the loss of Lawrence.
Bowen coached under Dean Pees, who had a reputation as a creative defensive coordinator. He also coached under Mike Vrabel, who has a reputation as an excellent defensive coach.
I think some of these data points show that perhaps Bowen isn’t as inflexible as some think. He has certainly learned his trade under some excellent coaches.
All of that said, how the pieces of the defense come together — or don’t come together — is one of the 2025 storylines that will tell the tale of the season.
Andy Loesberg asks: What do you think about the Giants/Daboll hiring Jon Gruden as QB coach or Special Assistant this year. I have watched a lot of video of Jaxson Dart and clearly Gruden is a big supporter and still has a lot coaching in him. I know Dabs wants to do make his own coaching mark on Dart but Dabs is managing the entire team and installing the offense for the other new QBs. It’s about time Gruden gets another shot at coaching. He’s been out too long.
Ed says: No, no, no, no, no. Andy, does that tell you how I feel about Gruden? Quite honestly, after the homophobic and mysogynistic things Gruden wrote that came to light back in 2021, I don’t ever want to see him back in the NFL.
First and foremost, I cannot see John Mara signing off on such a hiring. Remember how quickly he squashed the idea of the Giants trading for DeShaun Watson a few years ago when all of the allegations surfaced against Watson?
On top of that, why would Daboll do that to himself? Do you believe he could actually trust Gruden to work “for” him rather than angle behind the scenes for Daboll’s job? I don’t.
Daboll has Mike Kafka, who was part of Patrick Mahomes’ development in Kansas City. He has a quarterbacks coach he trusts in Shea Tierney, who has been with Daboll since his season at Alabama.
Daboll doesn’t need Jon Gruden to tell him how to coach a quarterback, or to question how he is doing it.
Alan Glickenhouse asks: How do you pronounce Mbow? Is it like Mebow? Or like Mmmmbow? I’ve heard of silent letters that are in words but you don’t pronounce them. but not absent letters that you do pronounce? Thanks in advance.
Ed says: Alan, you probably aren’t the only one wondering. This is simple. It’s BOW. Silent M
Chris Hynes: Now that the draft is over, just wondering what were the draft grades of J.J. McCarthy as opposed to those of Jaxson Dart?
Ed says: Chris, I am not quite sure if you are asking for the ‘post-draft’ grades or if you are asking for the ‘pre-draft’ prospect grades. Here are a couple of pre-draft grades:
JJ McCarthy — ESPN: 92 | Rookie Scouting Portfolio (Waldman): 76.95 | Football Gameplan (Hunt): 75.5 | Sports Info Solutions: 6.4
Jaxson Dart — ESPN: 87 | Rookie Scouting Portfolio (Waldman): 76.6 Football Gameplan (Hunt): 75 | Sports Info Solutions: 6.4
The ESPN grades show a slight difference. Mostly, though, identical scores.
Bob Donnelly asks: Schoen’s move up to get Jaxson Dart is praised by some and criticized by others.
Perhaps you can share a comparison of the various trade charts to quantify how much of a premium was paid, and how the value of the fifth year option influences the equation.
Ed says: Bob, this is less of a question than a request for information. Anyway, here is how the trade charts saw the Giants’ trade of picks 34, 99 and a 2026 third-rounder for pick No. 25:
Ronald Buchheim asks: I have read several articles saying that the competition for the the second guard spot will be among Van Roten, Neal, and Mbow. All apparently assumed that Runyan will definitely be the other guard. But PFF graded Van Roten about 9 points higher than Runyan last season, and everything else I’ve read also indicates that VR performed better. Do you think it’s true that Runyan has a firmer grip on his position than Van Roten, and if so can you explain why?
Ed says: Ronald, I try to remind people all the time that Pro Football Focus grades are a tool for discussion. They are not the be-all and end-all that tells us definitively one player is better than another. NFL teams may be aware of them, but they grade players a different way. They also grade with far more information than PFF graders have at their disposal.
Let’s start with the obvious. Jon Runyan Jr. is a 28-year-old in the second year of a three-year, $30 million contract. He carries an $11.75 million cap hit. Greg Van Roten is a 35-year-old on a one-year, $3.25 million contract with just $2.45 million guaranteed.
Let’s point out something else that PFF grades cannot take into account. Runyan played the entire season with a separated shoulder. Do you think maybe that impacted his performance? Do you think it would send a good message to the locker room to bench a good player who showed that kind of toughness and team-first attitude? He also moved from right to left guard in the middle of training camp without complaint to make room for Van Roten.
Seth Weissman asks: Do you have any updates on the health of Dexter Lawrence and Andrew Thomas? Are they fully recovered from last year’s injuries?
Ed says: Seth, Dexter Lawrence is fine. I know it wasn’t football, but he participated in the Pro Bowl Games tug of war without hesitation or restriction. GM Joe Schoen said at the Combine that Thomas was out of his walking boot and working out at the team’s facility. So, he looks to be on track.
Walker Joyce asks: While his motives are mostly pure, if selfish, Malik Nabers’ personality as reflected in today’s article was a bit off-putting. At least he was honest enough to admit the latter-day WR is a diva, but he doesn’t realize that the fans don’t like hot dogs and showboats. Not to mention that few become champions.
He’s a gifted player and his willingness to play in pain showed he can be a warrior, albeit one who’s tabulating his own stats against the salary cap. So I’m not ready to label him a team guy, and that’s my main point.
How do you think his remarks made Jaxon Dart feel? The more we learn, the more entitled Sanders looks, which explains his slide. It wasn’t about talent, it was all about his attitude, and the potential that he and his daddy would become distractions. You reap what you sow.
If Malik was smart(er), he’d call up Dart and suggest some private work-outs. Better he play catch with him than a guy on another club, who may rapidly morph into the next Ryan Leaf or Johnny Manziel.
Do you agree that Nabers has more maturing to do?
Ed says: Walker, Nabers is a 21-year-old kid. Of course he has maturing to do. Every last one of us did at that age. It can be trickier to do that maturing in the public eye when everything you say is critiqued on the Internet and by the TV talking heads.
Not forcing the ball to a star wide receiver just to satisfy that receiver’s ego is always a tricky thing for a young quarterback to navigate. It is easier for a veteran quarterback with the resume to fall back on. Eli Manning, for example, was in a better position to handle any demands for the ball from Odell Beckham than he was to deal with Jeremy shockey’s histrionics at the beginning of his career.
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