New York Giants Must Sign Antrel Rolle

The New York Giants cannot afford to have the same inexperience at safety this season as last and must sign Antrel Rolle, who was released by the Chicago Bears.

The Chicago Bears reportedly cut safety Antrel Rolle on Sunday, ending his limited run with the Bears after only one year, due in large part to injuries. The New York Giants should take advantage of this impending free agent, and need to make it a top priority to bring back Rolle to the Big Apple.

Last season, the Giants secondary was terrible, and the safety spots were huge black holes. They decided not to re-sign Rolle last summer, and watched him join the Bears on a 3-year/$11.25M contract. The Giants tried to address the safety issue with second round draft pick Landon Collins, but also found themselves trying out new options midseason, such as Brandon Meriweather.

Collins struggled mightily last year in coverage, exemplified by the infamous game-clinching drop of Tom Brady‘s pass against the then-undefeated Patriots. There is no way to sugar coat how bad Collins was in coverage last year. On the opposite side, the Giants lined up Meriweather and Cooper Taylor, but they did not do any better. Nat Berhe‘s injury and the failed Stevie Brown experiment did not bode well either.

Rolle was very healthy up until last year, when he only played seven games due to injuries. He did not miss a single game in his five-year run with the Giants, but was uncharacteristically injured last year in Chicago. Last year should be viewed as a fluke, and I do not consider Rolle’s 2015 season as a red flag.

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Outside of providing much needed help in the secondary, Rolle’s impact in the locker room from a leadership perspective should not be ignored. He was the vocal leader of the defense when he was with the Giants, and backed up his talk with his play on the field. The Giants thought Jon Beason would fill the leadership void left by Rolle’s departure, but Beason was never able to stay healthy last year. His retirement leaves no established leader on the defense, which is essential for a team looking to develop young players and compete every week.

The Giants drafted Darian Thompson this year to fill the other safety spot opposite Collins, but it’s foolish to expect him to contribute heavily during his rookie season. He needs to develop, and having a well-respected veteran offering support and as a mentor would certainly help. Rolle would be this role model (pun intended) for both Thompson and Collins. Not to mention the fact that Rolle can still play at a high level.

General manager Jerry Reese must bring back Rolle this year, and this move would make the team much better, both on and off the field. Rolle has made it well known in the past that he likes New York, and definitely enjoyed his time with Big Blue. A reunion makes sense for both parties, but nowadays you can’t expect the Giants to follow logic.

After failing to address the offensive line in both free agency and the draft, the Giants have been ignoring some major roster problems lately. I wouldn’t expect them to sign Rolle, even though it’s the smart thing to do.

If they do sign him, it would be a big win for the front office. Rolle wouldn’t cost much, considering he’s coming off an injury-riddled season. The Giants are not in position to rebuild, and Rolle would be contributing right away. They obviously have a lot of cap space left, but it remains to be seen what else they do with their money. Rolle wouldn’t be turning the Giants’ defense into the Legion of Boom by himself, but at least he would improve the Swiss cheese secondary that fans saw last year.

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From a fan’s perspective, it makes too much sense for this not to happen. Hopefully it does happen, but if not, then Reese will have another missed opportunity to add to his résumé. If I were in charge, bringing back Rolle would be a top priority, and is something that I would try to accomplish, no matter what.