The State of The New York Giants

Overtime Heroics Editorial

2014 days ago

The struggles of the Giants have been quite transparent in the years following the 2011 Super Bowl victory. Success hasn’t come easily and the state of The New York Football Giants is up for interpretation. Some claim that the storied franchise has become a laughing stock amongst owners in the NFL. But as of today, that normal day-in and day-out feeling of hopelessness and distraught in East Rutherford seem to have been lifted. Although it is not clear that things are necessarily “looking up” from this plateau of (at best) mediocrity, there certainly seems to be a new feel.

Could it be the hiring of Joe Judge? Possibly— although there have been three Head Coaching changes for New York since Super Bowl XLVI. Could it be the departure of the beloved Eli Manning? That"s a very likely answer. Is it the incredibly unsettling feeling of seeing Jason Garrett in Giants blue? That maybe it for me. No one really knows for sure, but something certainly feels different.

Strong Words from Judge

Head Coach Joe Judge impressed many with his introductory press conference in early January. His philosophy of not trying to put square pegs into round holes truly moved the majority of the fan base. Judge left fans with a sense of optimism. But it was interesting that Judge would not commit to Daniel Jones, or any player for that matter, as a starter on the team. Some people certainly questioned the thought process there. Judge cannot actually believe Saquon Barkley is not the clear cut starting running back for 2020, right? Nevertheless, it was his first press conference and Judge was given the benefit of the doubt.

“My reasoning for not getting into individual players at this point is that it"s important for our players to understand that the only thing that is going to be relevant is how they perform from day one moving forwarrd. The past is irrelevant" -Head Coach Joe Judge

Judge Remains Non-Committal

Judge stuck with his argument that no player is entitled to a starting role, during his NFL Combine interview on February 25th. Now, a lot of old school football fans are supportive of this. Utilizing this thought process could be a logical strategy if handed a team of unknown talent, but that is not the case here. Daniel Jones is going to be the starting quarterback for 2020, and if Judge disagreed with that during the hiring process, he would have never been appointed Head Coach.

As foolish as it was when John K. Mara and Steve Tisch decided to retain Gettleman while firing Pat Shurmur, it was clear that Daniel Jones having an above-average rookie season gave the owners a sense of optimism. They bought into Jones being the future of this organization— as result, buying Gettleman more time. For Judge not to name any player as a starter for 2020 just seems like a big waste of time. This topic will come up in every press conference he partakes in up until the start of the season.

Draft & Cap Space

The first big task for Judge and company will be the 2020 NFL Draft. This is an absolutely loaded Draft Class. It is no secret that Big Blue has many holes to fill through the draft and free agency. After releasing Linebackers Alec Ogletree and Kareem Martin, The Giants freed up a total of $73M in open cap space. This is good for the sixth most cap room in the league.

New York currently has eight draft picks in 2020, and have at least one pick in every round besides round three, which was a result of the Leonard Williams trade. The 4-12 record in 2019 granted Big Blue the 4th overall draft slot. Considering picks five, six, and seven are all possessed by Quarterback needy teams, the Giants have a serious opportunity to trade back in the draft and collect an absolute haul of a return. You can see my Giants 7 Round Mock Draft 1.0 here.

The Status of Evan Engram

Recent reports have been buzzing of an apparent "inside source" who claims the Giants may be looking to move on from Tight End Evan Engram via trade. The reports claim that the team believes the Tight End "can never stay healthy." Engram has failed to play a full 16 game season since New York selected him 23rd overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. While Engram has shown flashes of elite talent on the field, his injuries certainly draw concern. Engram had surgery to repair his foot in December of 2019; he is still in a walking boot to this day. While both Engram and Rhett Ellison failed to stay healthy for the 2019 season, Kaden Smith stepped into an unexpected role and made the most out of it. Smith’s success gave The Giants another (much cheaper) option at the Tight End position.

All in all, I truly believe it is worth exploring the options of trading Engram. The door should always be open to potential trades. As a General Manager in the NFL, no player should ever truly be untouchable with the exception of your franchise quarterback. If Dave Gettleman believes in what he has with Kaden Smith and Rhett Ellison, a trade truly could be imminent. Gettleman has shown that he is not afraid of pulling the trigger on big-name trades, even if it is not the popular move. This is definitely something to monitor closely throughout the off-season.

So What Now?

Fans of the Giants can only hope that things are trending up. It"s hard to be an optimist and to “trust the process" when all this organization has shown you since 2012 is incompetence. It is the harsh truth that many Giants fans refuse to admit. Judge surely made a lasting impression with his press conferences. But that will easily be overshadowed if his words do not translate to success on the football field. New York/New Jersey sports fans are as restless as they are faithful. You will not make it as a Head Coach in this city if you do not show a near-immediate success. With significant cap space, a lot of draft capital, and a young core— there"s a serious opportunity for improvement, and fans won"t settle for less.

Follow me on Twitter @ZackTighe for more of my content and follow @OT_Heroics!

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