Category: 2022 NFL Free Agency

Report: Giants to sign OL Max Garcia

The New York Giants are expected to sign offensive lineman Max Garcia, who was a Pro Bowl alternate last season.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbx61yex5whq8aq player_id=none image=https://giantswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

The New York Giants have reportedly come to terms with veteran offensive lineman Max Garcia.

Garcia, 30, has played both guard positions over his seven-year career which began in Denver with the Broncos in 2015. Garcia was a fourth-round pick (No. 133 overall) by the Broncos in the 2015 NFL draft and played in all 16 games that season (starting five) for Denver’s Super Bowl 50 championship team.

Garcia played 57 games over four seasons (starting 41) for the Broncos before moving on to Arizona in 2019. He played in 29 games the last two years for the Cardinals, including 11 starts last season when he was named a Pro Bowl alternate.

This is likely a depth signing for the Giants, who have been adding interior lineman the past few weeks such as Mark Glowinski, Jon Feliciano and Jamil Douglas to go with incumbents Shane Lemieux and Ben Bredeson.

Follow the Giants Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

The best bargains of the NFL’s 2022 free agency class (so far)

With most of the 2022 NFL free-agent class signed, here are the best player bargains so far.

Two reasons for the Cincinnati Bengals’ ascent from 4-11-1 in 2020 to AFC champs and near-Super Bowl LVI winners in 2021 were the wise free-agent signings of former Saints pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson and ex-Cowboys cornerback Chidobe Awuzie. In replacing Carl Lawson and William Jackson III, Hendrickson and Awuzie became immediate force multipliers on a defense that rose from 27th in DVOA in 2020 to 19th in 2021. Both Hendrickson and Awuzie defined their positions in that defense all the way through.

When going into free agency every season, every NFL team is looking for those types of bargains — Hendrickson on a four-year, $60 million deal with $16 million guaranteed, and Awuzie on a three-year, $21.75 million contract with $7.5 million guaranteed.

Here are the best potential bargains in the 2022 free agency slate so far — potential impact players who signed deals that may not reflect their value on the field, but certainly provide optimal value to their teams.

Giants not seriously considering a trade of Saquon Barkley?

The New York Giants seemed primed to trade RB Saquon Barkley, but perhaps it’s not something they are seriously considering after all.

The New York Giants have been relatively active (on the low end) thus far during free agency, and that’s not likely to change before the 2022 NFL draft.

The Giants need to create cap space for incoming draftees, which is why there has been much talk about cornerback James Bradberry. He isn’t the only one potentially on the trading block, though, as general manager Joe Schoen has said he’s “open to anything,” including trading star running back Saquon Barkley.

The last two seasons have been tough for Barkley. At the beginning of the 2020 season, he was carted off the field during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It would be revealed that he tore his ACL and was done for the season after just two games.

In 2021, the Giants picked up the fifth-year of Barkley’s contract, but he struggled on the field. Maybe it was the pandemic, maybe it was battling ankle issues, maybe it was sharing time with Devontae Booker or maybe it was a combination of everything. Regardless of the reason, it’s not hard to see why Schoen might be interested in trading Barkley.

Still, it’s hard to justify. If you look at the Giants scoring since Barkley joined the team, you will see that he accounts for over 25% of the teams scoring when he’s on the field. That’s a lot of scoring to give up, not to mention the way other defenses have to prepare for a threat like Barkley. Given the teams inability to get to the end zone in 2021, losing a guy like Barkley hurts.

And that’s why the Giants may not be seriously considering a Barkley trade.

That said, the entire Giants’ front office is brand new. It’s not a secret that the team needs to rebuild after years of prior management gaffes and guffaws. Could that include Barkley? Sounds like it definitely could. Is it likely? Probably not.

The Giants are already devoid of talent — particularly game-changing talent — so while trading Barkley may clear cap space, it creates another need and only further depletes the roster.

Follow the Giants Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

Chiefs bring in much-needed downfield speed with Marquez Valdes-Scantling

Touchdown Wire’s Laurie Fitzpatrick goes to the film to see what skills Marquez Valdez-Scantling brings to the Kansas City Chiefs. Start with the speed.

After trading Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins and altering the entire complexion of their offense, the Chiefs signed former Packers receiver, Marquez Valdes-Scantling to a three-year, $30 million contract The Chiefs knew it would be a tall task to replace Hill, and to be frank, he is irreplaceable. But the Chiefs did the best they could to replace Hill with one of best field stretchers in free agency.

In 2021, injuries limited Valdes-Scantling to only 11 games where he caught 26 passes for 430 yards and three touchdowns. Aside from last year, Valdes-Scantling hasn’t missed a single game in his first three years in the NFL. He has a total of 2,153 yards in his career with an average depth of target of 16.3.

Let’s go to the film to see what the Chiefs will get from their new downfield speedster.

Giants agree to terms with WR Richie James Jr.

The New York Giants have agreed to terms with former San Francisco 49ers WR Richie James Jr.

The New York Giants have very little salary cap space remaining, but that hasn’t stopped them from addressing the back-end of their roster.

On Friday, the team agreed to terms with wide receiver and return specialist Richie James Jr.

The 26-year-old James Jr. was a seventh-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in the 2018 NFL draft. He spent his entire career in San Fran before being waived/injured following knee surgery last August.

In 40 career games (10 starts), James Jr. has hauled in 38 receptions for 689 yards and three touchdowns. He’s also returned 51 punts for 373 yards and 47 kickoffs for 1,081 yards and one additional touchdown.

Giants fans may be familiar with James Jr. because of his career-best performance in Week 9 of the 2020 regular season. He recorded nine receptions for 184 yards and one touchdown in a Thursday night loss to the Green Bay Packers.

James Jr. is expected to sign a deal near the veteran minimum.

Follow the Giants Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

How the Dolphins can use Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle to break NFL coverages

Touchdown Wire’s Laurie Fitzpatrick goes to the film to see which concepts Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill should run next year with the Miami Dolphins.

On Wednesday, the Kansas City Chiefs shocked the football world and traded the most electrifying wide receiver in the NFL, Tyreek Hill, to the Miami Dolphins. This six-time pro bowler has 6,630 total receiving yards and four thousand-yard seasons in his career. Last year, Hill had a career high in receptions, with 111 for 1,239 receiving yards and in 2018 and 2020, he led the NFL in yards per touch.

Adding another explosive player to the Dolphins roster quite possibly give them one of the most dangerous and fastest duos in the league. Jaylen Waddle and Hill are both measured at 5-foot-10 and clocking sub-4.4 forty-yard dashes.

So, the interesting question everyone is asking is, how they will work together in the Dolphins offense?

Let’s go to the film and diagnose which concepts would work best for these two speedsters.

Alabama’s Jameson Williams would give post-Tyreek Hill Chiefs new life

Alabama receiver Jameson Williams might be the Chiefs’ best option to replace Tyreek Hill. Now, it’s all about that torn ACL.

[mm-video type=video id=01fys0vzzra2thbqzrf7 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fys0vzzra2thbqzrf7/01fys0vzzra2thbqzrf7-42a6148224ceefa34f32c8b61bb0d1b0.jpg]

On Wednesday, the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense became very different — and a lot less explosive. The trade of Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins not only takes Patrick Mahomes’ most explosive receiver away; it also changes the entire geometry of Kansas City’s offense in that Hill has speed you can’t consistently cover — you have to create an entire defensive architecture just to rein it in as much as you possibly can.

It’s why Mahomes faced far more two-deep coverage in 2021 than any other NFL quarterback, and without Hill in the picture — compounding that unpleasant reality that there’s nobody else on the roster who can approximate what Hill does — every NFL defense that has had to try and solve this calculus test is now breathing easier.

Now, it’s up to head coach Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach to create a new math. There’s no receiver in free agency who is capable of approximating Hill’s effect on a defense, which leaves the draft, and some interesting options. Ohio State’s Chris Olave reminds me of a souped-up Cooper Kupp with his deep speed and route awareness, and I think he’d be an ideal fit in Reid’s schemes. But the Chiefs would likely have to trade up to get Olave, and while they now have the 29th and 30th overall picks in the 2022 draft as part of the Hill trade (they already had the 30th pick), they might not want to constrict their options at that part of the first round.

There is an even better option, though it comes with a bit of risk.

Alabama receiver Jameson Williams, who absolutely housed the NCAA with 79 catches for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2021, suffered a torn ACL in the College Football Championship against Georgia. Were it not for that injury, Williams would likely be WR1 on most boards because of his route-running and field awareness, sure, but the thing that elevates Williams on tape is the constant vertical/speed threat that stress every defense the Crimson Tide faced — even Georgia’s dominant squad.

More importantly, Williams has examples on tape of doing nearly everything Hill has done — at a very high level.

Texans earned ‘average’ evaluation for 2022 free agency class

The Houston Texans’ free agency class was relatively average in 2022, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Houston Texans were active in free agency, but mostly to the extent of keeping their own guys.

The Texans brought back the likes cornerback Desmond King, safety Terrence Brooks, and center Justin Britt. Houston also added outside free agents in linebacker Jalen Reeves-Mabin and guard A.J. Cann.

According to Sam Monson and Brad Spielberger from Pro Football Focus, the Texans’ overall body of work in free agency was considered “average” compared to the rest of the AFC.

Houston’s strategy in 2021 of signing a ton of veterans to one-year deals arguably paid off, as [Maliek] Collins — who accumulated 31 quarterback pressures and earned a 71.0 pass-rush grade in 2021 — and [Kamu] Grugier-Hill — who played twice as many snaps as any season prior and had 14 tackles for loss or no gain, which was tied for ninth among linebackers despite Grugier-Hill missing time to injury — re-signings indicate.

Compared to the rest of the conference, the Cincinnati Bengals earned a “good” designation as did the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers. The Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, and Denver Broncos were given “above average” evaluations.

According to general manager Nick Caserio, the Texans’ free agent strategy was to bring in veterans that the younger players would look up to.

“When the players walk in to the building and say, ‘What do we ask of a Houston Texan? What are the characteristics and behaviors that we want to embody?’ When you look at those players, those are the things we want those rookies to see,” said Caserio. “You want those rookies to have some of the same qualities, but obviously this is all going to be new for them. I would say part of the team-building process is we added some of those players back to our team, and as we added new players to our team, as well.”

The Texans still have work to do to assemble the 2022 roster as the NFL draft is April 28-30 in Las Vegas.

Report: Giants agree to terms with DT Justin Ellis

The New York Giants have reportedly agreed to terms with former Baltimore Ravens DT Justin Ellis.

The New York Giants have agreed to terms with former Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Justin Ellis, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rappaport.

Selected by the then-Oakland Raiders in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft, the eight-year veteran is a low-cost option that adds depth to the defensive line.

Ellis has 148 tackles over his career, 83 of which were solo. He also comes in knowing the defensive scheme, having played under current Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale during his time in Baltimore.

Ellis also helps replace the departure of Austin Johnson, who the Giants lost in free agency. That said, Ellis’ 2021 PFF grade was a paltry 49.2. Still, he’s played in 100 NFL games with 50 starts, and has appeared in three postseason games. Joining the Giants would also reunite Ellis with outside linebacker Jihad Ward, both of whom played in Baltimore.

At 6-foot-2 and 350 pounds, Ellis is a force to be reckoned with. He’s reached the quarterback four times in his career and six of his tackles are for a loss. He adds size, depth and experience to the defense, and will likely be instrumental in implementing Martindale’s defense.

The final step in this process is for Ellis to pass a physical, and when he does that, he’ll suit up in blue.

[listicle id=689375]

Why the Chiefs cannot replace the irreplaceable Tyreek Hill

The Chiefs just traded Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins for a boatload of draft picks. Here’s why Hill is irreplaceable in Kansas City’s offense.

Just when you thought the NFL’s new league year was about as weird as we could tolerate, a blockbuster bit of news came out of Kansas City. Per multiple reports, the Kansas City Chiefs and receiver Tyreek Hill have come to an impasse in contract negotiations, and the team has allowed Hill and agent Drew Rosenhaus to seek a trade.

From there, things escalated very, very quickly. The Miami Dolphins gave up quite a haul for Hill: a 2022 first-round pick (No. 29 overall), a 2022 second-round pick (No. 50) and fourth-round pick, and fourth- and sixth-round picks in the 2023 draft. In addition, the Dolphins have already agreed to terms with Hill on a new four-year, $120 million contract extension, with $72.2 million guaranteed.

You can imagine the Arrowhead faithful hyperventilating at the thought of Hill wearing another uniform, and there’s good reason for that. Hill was selected in the fifth round of the 2016 draft due to multiple off-field issues, but as an NFL player, he’s been about as valuable at his position as they come. Since his rookie season, Hill ranks eighth in the NFL in receptions (479), seventh in yards (6,630), and third in touchdowns.

There’s also this, which further explains Miami’s eagerness to get this done.

More than that, there’s the stuff that shows up on tape that reveals Hill’s value to the Chiefs beyond boilerplate stats. Last season, per Sports Info Solutions, Patrick Mahomes faced by fa the most dropbacks against two-deep coverage (389; Matthew Stafford was second with 311), and a primary reason is that if you present a single-high look to a receiver of Hill’s explosive tendencies all over the field, you are just begging for a house call. Hill irrevocably alters the geometry of his team’s passing game, and that’s a rare trait in any era. In this era, it’s more valuable than ever.

Hill thrived in the constraints constructed to at least limit the damage he can do to a defense, catching 56 passes on 78 targets against two-deep coverage for 720 yards, 454 air yards, 266 yards after the catch, and two touchdowns.

Last season, per Pro Football Focus, Hill caught 11 passes of 20 or more air yards on 28 targets for 398 yards and three touchdowns in an offense that became more and more reductive as head coach Andy Reid and his staff tried to get Patrick Mahomes’ more rogue tendencies under control. He is by far the Chiefs’ most prolific deep receiver — Mecole Hardman and Byron Pringle combined for 13 deep catches and one deep touchdown last season.

But it’s not just that — it’s what Hill does after the catch that makes him such a major problem. You can also see how defenses react to his pre-snap movement as another indicator of how much he’s feared around the league. Hill’s 2.006 intended air yards and 585 yards after the catch in 2021 tell both sides of the same story.

What is that story? Without Tyreek Hill, Kansas City’s offense will be fundamentally different — and inarguably inferior — in a big hurry. And the film illustrates that quite perfectly.

Strap in, kids — we’re about to go on the hayride that is Tyreek Hill All-22.