New York Giants: Analyzing Jerry Reese’s Tenure as General Manager
The New York Giants face a big offseason in 2017 even after making the playoffs this season. Should Jerry Reese still be the man in charge of making these personnel decisions?
The New York Giants are projected to have roughly $32-35 million of available cap space for the 2017 season, and will be actively looking for ways to improve the team. The team is widely expected to part ways with Victor Cruz, possibly opening up more salary cap room.
What will the Giants do with this money? What positions will they choose to upgrade?
Jerry Reese and the Giants have continually failed to improve the offensive line, which has been a turnstile over the past few seasons. The offense desperately needs a tight-end who can stretch defenses as well as can block. The Giants may also be in the market for a bell cow running back to add life to their run game. So much work has to be done, and this offseason will be critical if the Giants want to see their offense improve in 2017.
Fortunately for them, there are many appealing free agents available this year.
I expect top players like Le’Veon Bell and Eric Berry to get franchised, but the Giants should be active with the rest of the free agent market. T.J. Lang and Luke Joeckel are free agents who fit the needs of the Giants. As are Martellus Bennett, Jared Cook and Jordan Cameron. Aging veterans, such as Andrew Whitworth and Sebastian Vollmer, could probably be had for cheap, and can fit well with the Giants. There are many possibilities, and fans would like to see work being done.
On the other side, they will have to make tough decisions regarding Jason Pierre-Paul and Johnathan Hankins. JPP will not play on another one-year deal, and wants to be paid. I think he’s worth the money, but can the Giants afford to pay him and fix the offense? Probably not. Hankins will also want money, and will likely price himself out of what the Giants are willing to pay. These difficult choices will have a big impact on the defensive line, and must be made carefully.
Should Jerry Reese be the man in charge of making all of these decisions?
When Reese signed Olivier Vernon, Janoris Jenkins, and Damon Harrison to lucrative deals last season, he was risking his job. Already on the hot seat, Reese handed out roughly $200 million to three players who never played a single snap in a playoff game. Reese was never known to dish out big contracts in free agency, but he needed to in order to save his job. Lucky for him, these contracts paid off in Year One.
However, are these three additions enough to overlook the countless poor personnel choices Reese has made as general manager?
With the exception of Odell Beckham Jr. and Pierre-Paul, most of his draft picks are no longer on the team. His mid-to-late round picks never develop into impactful players, and his theme of drafting the “best player available” does not always meet the team’s most urgent needs.
Do you think Reese’s few big hits still outweigh the numerous misses?
Let’s analyze his performance as general manager, year-by-year.