Let’s be honest, Joe Schoen pulled off an incredible first year as the General Manager for the New York Giants. Some of his many successes are highlighted here.
But even the very best General Managers will make some poor decisions. Hindsight is 20/20 and failure can often be the best teacher for decision making in the future.
Joe Schoen did not fail in his first year as General Manager but he did have a few failures.
Drafting Wan’dale Robinson over George Pickens
This should be prefaced with an understanding that Wan’dale Robinson will likely be everything Kadarius Toney was not for the New York Giants. Because Robinson has talent and because he is shifty there is no reason to believe he will not be an excellent addition to the wide receiver room provided he can stay healthy. The Giants lost Robinson to a torn ACL in a week 10 loss to the Detroit Lions.
So this is less about Robinson and more about Pickens. George Pickens was selected 9 spots after Robinson in the 2022 NFL draft. Pickens is already a solid number 2 wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers. His presence made the Chase Claypool trade possible. Pickens has the upside of a true number 1 wide receiver at the pro level. He is everything the Giants needed on their roster this season and in the seasons to come.
Therefore Drafting Pickens would have put the current Joe Schoen rebuild a year ahead of schedule.
Signing Mike Glowinski
Glowinski was signed to be a solid veteran presence on the right side. The Giants offensive line had moments this season but the line also collapsed when it mattered the most. Glowinski’s poor play at times led to a large number of those collapses.
Glowinski was durable, starting all 16 games and playing over 95% of the team’s offensive snaps. However Glowinski struggled throughout the season in pass protection. Because Glowinski struggled in pass protection his play is a cause for concern moving forward. It could also be argued that by his inconsistent play, Glowinski did not aid in the development of rookie tackle Evan Neal.
The one caveat here is that Schoen did not sell the farm for Glowinksi like Gettleman did for Nate Soldier in 2018.
What do you think are Joe Schoen’s biggest failures of the 2022 NFL season?