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New York Giants: Plan B Needs To Be Put Into Place

By Nikhil Potpally

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With NFL free agency officially underway on Tuesday, many teams are preparing to finalize the contracts which were discussed during the three day negotiating window. Many of the big-name players have already decided on their future teams, and this unfortunately left many other teams in the dust. Among those left behind were the New York Giants.

On the Giants’ radar of potential free agents to sign this offseason were Ndamukong Suh, Devin McCourty, Brandon Graham, and Jerry Hughes.

Suh reportedly has inked a megadeal with the Miami Dolphins, and the remaining three players have reportedly re-signed with their former teams. Suh was never really a serious candidate to enter the Giants’ defensive line due to his high contract demands, but McCourty, Graham, and Hughes were strongly considered good fits for the Giants defense. McCourty would have fortified the Giants’ secondary, but would have signaled the official end of Antrel Rolle‘s tenure with the team. McCourty was blossoming into an elite safety with the Patriots, and earned himself a big contract. Hughes was also coming off a good year with the Buffalo Bills, and was in position for a raise. Same with Graham, who seemed like he was certainly going to end up with the Giants. Unfortunately for the Giants, McCourty, Hughes, and Graham re-signed with their former teams.

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On the offensive side of the ball, linemen Orlando Franklin, Jermey Parnell, Doug Free, Derek Newton, and Michael Oher are off the market. Any of these players could have improved the O-Line, yet they did not sign any of them.

Whether not signing any of the aforementioned players be due to lack of negotiating, lack of serious interest, or other plans remains in question. However, it doesn’t matter anymore, so now it’s onto Plan B. Fans hope the Giants have a good Plan B, and if they do, it would most likely revolve around signing other notable “need” players.

Possible defensive targets still on the market are Rolle, Walter Thurmond, Darrelle Revis, Rahim Moore, Ron Parker, Nick Fairley, and Greg Hardy. A possible offensive line target could be Bryan Bulaga

I don’t see the Giants taking a risk with Hardy or paying Revis, so we can cross them out. The best available defensive players still available, in my mind, are Rolle and Thurmond. Rolle loves playing in New York, and his intangibles make him worth the deal. He is also known for not missing games, so the Giants must revive interest in bringing back Rolle. Thurmond was arguably the best slot corner before he got injured, so a low-risk contract with him makes sense. Moore or Parker are good players too, but I prefer Rolle returning to the team rather than signing new safeties.

The flurry of moves this weekend seemed to have left the Giants in the dust, and many of their targets are off the market. This quite possibly could have caught them off-guard and may now even  force them to act fast. It could also cause them to change their draft strategy and cause them to draft based on need over value. Regardless, the Giants must invest more personnel to replenish the offensive and defensive lines. Not all was bad for the Giants this weekend, as the NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles were busy dismantling themselves, and made the Giants better in the process.

Next: Who are 10 possible RB for the Giants in 2015?

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