Empire Writes Back
Fansided

NFL Free Agency: New York Giants and New York Jets Make Depth Signings

By Kenneth Teape

facebooktwitterreddit

NFL Free Agency: New York Giants and New York Jets Continue To Fortify Depth Charts

Both the New York Giants and New York Jets continued to add to their respective rosters Wednesday night and into Thursday afternoon. The Giants re-signed tight end Daniel Fells, while they lost a backup offensive lineman as James Brewer will be swapping blue for green and joining the Jets.

For the Giants, re-signing Fells is yet another signing that won’t get fans excited, but is a smart decision. Last season he graded out as a strong run blocker, finishing in the top-10 of Pro Football Focus grades at the position, which helps when the offensive line has the struggles the Giants’ one more often than not does.

Fells was only on the field for 438 snaps last season behind the breakout Larry Donnell, but he made the most of his opportunities when the ball was thrown to him. He was targeted only 20 times, but hauled in 16 of them for 188 yards and four touchdowns. Also, 12 of his 16 receptions went for a first down, further exemplifying the fact that he made the most of his limited opportunities catching the ball.

With so many options ahead of him in the passing game, Fells will continue to see a small workload in terms of targets. That is not why the Giants are re-signing him though, as his blocking is what really is key, as it allows Donnell to continue flourishing as the receiving tight end. This signing could signal the end of the Adrien Robinson experiment, who has still yet to make an impact with the Giants after general manager Jerry Reese said that he could be the Jason Pierre-Paul of tight ends when the Giants drafted him in 2012. The new deal that the Giants and Fells agreed to is a one-year pact.

The contract that Brewer and the Jets agreed to will also be a one-year pact. Brewer, who spent the first four seasons of his career with Big Blue, was a fourth round pick in 2011. The Giants had high hopes for the former Indiana product, but he never developed as they had hoped.

He has appeared in 26 games, starting only eight, with the Giants, which is a disappointing number because the Giants always seemed to be hurting along the offensive line. Numerous injuries occurred ahead of Brewer during his time with the Giants, but he was never able to make it amount to much of anything. He also dealt with injuries of his own, which never helped his development.

More from New York Giants

With the Jets, Brewer will add some depth along the offensive line. He has some versatility, as he made appearances at both guard and tackle for the Giants in the past. He will more than likely fill in for the swing tackle spot on the roster, which was occupied by Ben Ijalana last season. Ijalana is an unrestricted free agent currently on the market, so the Jets needed his replacement and look to have gotten him in Brewer.

While both of these signings won’t get the fans excited too much, they both fill depth needs that the Giants and Jets had holes to fill.

Next: Who Is Closer To A Title, The New York Giants or New York Jets?

More from Empire Writes Back

Home/New York Giants