Monday March 15th starts the tampering period for the NFL’s free agency, and the new league year starts on Wednesday the 17th. Here are some guys the Giants should take a look at ahead of the new league year.
WR: Tim Patrick
Tim Patrick had a career year with the Denver Broncos last season hauling in 51 catches for 742 yards and 6 touchdowns. Would he be the number one wide receiver? No. However, he can provide some quality at the position for a low cost to the cap. Standing at 6’4, he can be their “sky scrapper” receiver they haven’t had since guys like Hakeem Nicks or Plaxico Burress. He made $750K last season.
EDGE: Romeo Okwara
Sounds familiar right Giants fans? Someone they should have not let go. In 2016 when Vernon was injured, Okwara stepped in and did a great job, and he’s had some good seasons in Detroit. He logged 10 sacks in 2020 with 44 tackles (11 for loss). He might cost a bit more from having that season, but he would provide some more consistency in the pass rush, and Giants fans would certainly welcome him back. Last year he made around $3.1 million.
CB: Casey Hayward
Casey Hayward was a somewhat surprise cut by the Chargers yesterday. He is a two-time pro-bowler with 9 years in the league. Last season he had one interception, 8 passes defended and 41 tackles. His earnings last year were around $9.7 million. He would be a nice option to have opposite Bradberry if they were looking to add experience to that position that needs depth this offseason.
WR: Corey Davis
Davis had his best season as a pro in 2020. He tallied 65 recptions for 984 yards and 5 touchdowns. The difference between Davis and Patrick mentioned above is that Davis could end up being the Giants number one receiver they have been looking for since the OBJ trade. Davis has good size at 6’3 and has some wheels. Last season he made around $4 million in earnings. The Giants could sign him for a medium deal that would be well worth it. It was concerning for the start of Davis’ career, but it was looking good for him last season.
EDGE: Haason Reddick
Reddick will sound familiar to Giants fans when they remember he sacked Daniel Jones 5 times last season in one game, and that may be what get’s their attention the most, his pass rushing ability. He had his best season logging 12.5 sacks last season. In 2020, his earnings were around $2.3 million. If the Giants could sign him to a relatively close contract to that amount, it would be well worth it. They can use all the help and consistency they can get in that position. He could even help occasionally in coverage.
G: Gabe Jackson
Jackson is a 7-year player from the Las Vegas Raiders. According to PFF, he had a 69.9 grade in pass blocking and 58.5 in run blocking. He earned around $9.6 million in 2020. In his 1,062 snaps played, he never gave up a sack. That’s a relieving stat for Giants fans. With the unknown at the guard position, this could be a route the Giants could take for a medium price.
Stats provided by pro-football-reference
Contract information provided by spotrac
“File:Corey Davis 2018 08-09.jpg” by Chipermc is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
About Dylan Davis
Dylan Davis is a graduate of the State University of New York at Canton, where he obtained a B.A.A in Sport Management. He is a former athlete of football and baseball and sports fan for much of his life. Dylan creates content for 366 Sports and New York Giants 366, and is also a host on his own show, “The J&D Sports Show”.
Twitter: @_TheDylanDavis_
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dylan.davis.7
Instagram: @dylan15dd