Is a “B” grade a fair mark?
The New York Giants offseason work deserves a “B” grade, according to ESPN NFL analyst Seth Walder.
How did Walder reach that conclusion? Here is what he wrote:
The Giants entered the offseason needing a quarterback. They acquired three. In free agency, they brought in both Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston for a combined $14 million in cap space. It was a good bargain.
At the time, they didn’t know whether they’d be able to draft a first-round QB. Wilson raises the floor and Winston the ceiling. Even though neither is the team’s future quarterback, why not try both at that cost?
The real investment was made in the draft by trading back into the first round to select Dart at No. 25 (after picking edge rusher Abdul Carter at No. 3). To move up from No. 34 to No. 25, the Giants dealt the Texans No. 99 and a 2026 third-round pick …
This was a risk well worth taking. Dart might not work out, but the Giants gave themselves a chance to find a franchise quarterback.
Their most expensive free agent acquisition was [Paulson] Adebo. I was not a fan of the move. Adebo, who suffered a broken femur in Week 7 last season, had strong on-ball numbers over the previous two seasons combined, with minus-49 EPA allowed as the nearest defender, per NFL Next Gen Stats. But on-ball production isn’t stable from year to year, and metrics that I would consider more important — such as target rate and yards per coverage snap — are more worrying. In his limited sample last season, Adebo was targeted 21% of the time (most by any outside corner with at least 250 coverage snaps) and had a high 1.6 yards per coverage snap allowed.
New York’s other major secondary signing, safety Jevon Holland, was better. That the Giants landed Holland for $15 million per year — roughly the same as Camryn Bynum and less than Tre’von Moehrig — despite his being considered by some to be the best safety in the free agent class, was encouraging.
They re-signed receiver Darius Slayton at $12 million per year … I think it’s a fine move to bring him back at this cost, considering the team’s need at outside receiver.
Valentine’s View
I recently wrote that the Giants had to be considered an offseason winner even if the schedule will make it difficult for them to prove it.
Walder’s work does nothing to convince me otherwise.
Some of what I wrote at the end of June bears repeating here:
In my position by position “better or worse?” series this offseason, I found that an argument can be made that the Giants have improved at every single position.
On defense, the Giants added potential game-changing players in Abdul Carter, Paulson Adebo and Jevon Holland. They added front seven depth with Chauncey Golston, Roy Robertson-Harris and third-round pick Darius Alexander.
On offense, the Giants are in a far better situation at quarterback. Russell Wilson may not be what he once was, but he offers the Giants the likelihood that they will have their best quarterback play this season since the days of Eli Manning. We have no idea when or if rookie Jaxson Dart will play, but his presence brings hope that the Giants may have their quarterback of the future.
Wilson should make the receivers better, and there is improved depth at tight end, running back, and the offensive line.
I think Walder is correct about his quarterback assessment. Wilson and Winston are no one’s idea of perfect quarterback solutions, but they raise the bar for the kind of play the Giants should be able to get from the position. Dart gives them something they desperately needed — hope that they might have found an answer at the position for the foreseeable future.
I disagree with Walder about Adebo. I love that signing.
It was clear entering the offseason that the Giants needed to spend money to find a player who could be their No. 1 cornerback. With their other priorities, the draft was not going to align so that they could select a player with that potential.
We discussed options like Carlton Davis, Charvarius Ward and D.J. Reed. All of those players would have been fine, but each is 29 and you can debate whether or not you think any is a true No. 1 cornerback.
I understand the advanced metrics Walder points to. Adebo, though, is a 26-year-old who may not yet have played his best football. Considering where the Giants and that they should still be thinking more about the long-term than the short term, Adebo was the right signing.
Both Adebo and Deonte Banks are best in man coverage, specifically press man coverage. We will see if defensive coordinator Shane Bowen is flexible enough to adapt and use them that way, but from this vantage point Adebo was the right fit for New York.
What do you think of Walder’s offseason grade for the Giants? Too high? Too low? Just right?