A Crucial Offseason for the New York Giants - What will they do?

Written By Ethan Machado

Where are we at?

There’s no arguing that the New York Giants were a huge disappointment this season. Coming off of a season where first year Head Coach Joe Judge seemed to change the mentality of a locker room, and have the team in playoff contention until week 17. Things were looking up for the Giants, having a very solid defensive unit and a huge offseason dealing out money left and right. Now, we fast forward to today, when the seventy-two million dollar man Kenny Golladay recorded zero touchdowns, Joe Judge talked himself out of a job, and Dave Gettleman retired before the Giants could kick him out of town.

The Giants are one of, if not the worst team in the NFL and are hitting the reset button this offseason. However, this isn’t the Giants first rodeo, they’ve been trying to rebuild ever since legendary Head Coach Tom Coughlin left New York. With only one playoff appearance since then the Giants have struck out at almost every level with head scratching Head Coaching hires, and questionable management decisions. However, with Owner John Mara admitting that the Giants have hit rock bottom, maybe they can get it right this time, and finally turn this once respected and legendary franchise back on track.

Who’s The Hire?

Now there are a lot of roster decisions that need to be made for the New York Giants, but none of that can happen without a General Manager, or Head Coach. So who’s the right person for the job? The Giants have recently wrapped up their first round of interviews and are now moving onto the second stage where they will hold in person interviews with their top candidates. Of those candidates, three stand out in particular.

One being Joe Hortiz, Director of Player Personnel for the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens have been a consistently strong team in the AFC and have had a great track record in their scouting and free agency markets.

Another strong candidate is Adrian Wilson of the Arizona Cardinals. Wilson is the Vice President of Personnel for the Arizona Cardinals and a former three time pro-bowler for the team. Similarly to the Ravens, the Cardinals have been a fairly consistent team. They have turned into a real contender in recent years with their ability to draft strong players and make big splashes in the free agency. On top of that, trading for market landing players like JJ Watt and Deandre Hopkins.

However, the front-runner for the Giants is Assistant General Manager for the Buffalo Bills, Joe Schoen. Joe Schoen is at the top of most, if not all, General Manager searches and that’s partially due to the fact that Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll will likely follow him as a Head Coach to whatever team lands Schoen. If the Giants are planning to stick with Daniel Jones for another year, an offensive guru like Daboll might be the last chance they have to truly unlock Daniel Jones’ potential.

Buffalo Bills Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll, Image Via: https://heavy.com/sports/buffalo-bills/brian-daboll-head-coach-leave-buffalo/

What would Schoen and Daboll Do?

Realistically, I think the most likely scenario would be to hire Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll, considering they’re some of the strongest candidates on the market and a new GM would likely want his own pick at Head Coach and his staff. That still leaves a lot of work to be done for this new staff. In a huge market like New York, you don’t have time to tank, this fanbase is relentless and hungry for a competitive team, which they’ve lacked in the last five years.

So what exactly will the Giants do? Start off with the fact that they have two first round picks (picks #5 and #7) in this year's upcoming draft. Align that with a strong O-line class, headlined by the likes of Evan Neal, Ikem Ekwonu, Charles Cross and many more. The Giants offensive line has been extremely poor, with some inside the organization saying that they only have one true offensive lineman on the team, that being standout offensive lineman and top five pick, Andrew Thomas. It seems like every team in the NFL knows that you can’t win games without a strong offensive line. If this new staff wants to turn the page and get this team on the right track, it would be smart of them to address the offensive line early and often in this year's draft.

Some will argue that the Giants need to address other areas like edge rusher, linebacker, or even wide receiver with the lack of production by those groups in the past season. I don’t entirely disagree with them, however, we’ve seen how much a strong offensive line can help a team. For example, the division rivals Philadelphia Eagles were able to push into the playoffs by riding a strong offensive line and run game, even though they lack a strong defense and have had Quarterback issues similar to the Giants. 

NC State Offensive Tackle Ikem Ekwonu, Image Via: https://gopack.com/sports/football/roster/ikem-ekwonu/10649

Could they skip the Rebuild Process?

Now even if the Giants do go through with this little plan, it is likely that they won’t be an immediate contender next year. Turning around a team as bad as the Giants are is hard and takes time. But what if I told you that the Giants have a chance to do just that? That's right, the Giants can contend next year, and this plan isn’t very far fetched either. It has been reported recently that controversial Quarterback Deshaun Watson wants to join forces with recently fired Head Coach Brian Flores. The team they’ve had in mind is the New York Giants. It most certainly would take a lot to trade for Watson, reports being that it would take around three first round picks. The Giants could deliver that tall order, and pair the once star quarterback and MVP candidate Deshaun Watson with Saquon Barkley. Combined with Brian Flores, a defensive mastermind and man that was able to bring the Miami Dolphins to back to back winning seasons. The Giants defense could return to top form like we saw glimpses of back in Joe Judge’s first year. I understand that if this scenario were to play through that it’d likely mean the offensive line struggles would likely continue and have to be addressed later down the line. It would be a tall task for Watson, but not much different from what he dealt with in Houston when he delivered back to back playoff appearances in 2018 and 2019 dealing with horrendous offensive lines in both years.

What will Mara choose?

Now both of these options are valid in their own right, and I feel like this all comes down to what the ownership thinks will be best for the organization. They’re under a lot of pressure right now, with New York Giants fans hungry for a competitive team, and tired of waiting through failed rebuilds. The real question is whether or not John Mara will give into the Giants fandom and go for a huge move like trading for Deshaun Watson, or choosing to rebuild the old fashioned way with a new GM and Head Coach. Just this time hoping that they’ve finally chosen the correct combo unlike the past with the likes of Dave Gettleman, Pat Schurmer, Ben McAdoo, and Joe Judge. At this point there’s so much on the table for the Giants, only time will tell what direction they want to go, and how exactly it will all work out.

Ethan Machado
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