3 Free Agents the Giants Should Still Sign Before the Draft

When it comes to the current state of the New York Giants roster, it always feels like they’ve never plugged up all the holes needed to thrive for the upcoming season. As the draft circles, all the discussion around the team’s moves is centered on what remaining pieces they can pick up in the draft to fill the rest of their lingering needs. 

As it stands, the Giants could still use reinforcements at a handful of positions, notably running back, tight end, defensive tackle, inside linebacker and outside cornerback. There is a good chance the Giants address a few of these positions in the draft, once they are done addressing the quarterback or wide receiver dilemma in round one, but don’t forget there is still an opportunity to make moves on the free agent side of the league. 

It won’t be an easy task for Joe Schoen and company to meet, given the Giants have about $7.5 million in cap space according to Over the Cap. They have to reserve a certain amount for the contracts of the incoming rookie class and are in a position where they might need to execute some restructures of rostered players in order to make the ends meet. 

Nevertheless, there are still affordable names on the open market that New York should still tango with before the draft begins on April 25th in Detroit. A select few could be acquired on cheap contracts and offer additional depth to positions that are looking slim in the talent department. 

Boston Scott, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

The Giants fan reading this article would likely find this potential signing to be an interesting turn of events, but landing running back Boston Scott would be one of the best options for the team to bolster their backfield at a fair rate. 

Both parties are no stranger to one another from Scott’s tenure with the arch rival Philadelphia Eagles over the past six seasons. The 28-year-old has often been labeled as the “Giants killer” when he steps on the field against Big Blue, due to his ability to seemingly have an impact on those games by threading the needle on late downs and punching in points for the birds. 

In 10 career games against the Giants, Scott has notched 10 total touchdowns, including one game in December 2019 when he had three endzone visits to help the Eagles pummel their division opponent. The chance to now steal this secret weapon away from their nemesis and apply his talents to the backfield would be a nice booster to what they'll do with Devin Singletary. 

While Singletary will take on more of the handoffs over the course of a game, the Giants could turn to Scott to earn the dirty yards on third or fourth downs and be the ground and pound player that is needed at the goalline to make the exclamation point. That is something they will miss without Saquon Barkley and don’t seemingly have with the other running backs on the roster. 

Scott has had four seasons with at least 217 rushing yards and in that span scored 15 touchdowns for the Eagles as a rusher. In the air, he averages 8.0 yards per catch but has seen that role diminish with Kenneth Gainwell assuming the team’s passing snaps. He can use his small but tough build to sneak through the tiny holes up the middle and bust a couple open field tackles along the way, making him a good component to the offense. 

With an average market value of $1.5 million on a one-year deal, per Spotrac, Scott would be the cheapest addition with quality production the Giants can get for the running back position.