[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, under the direction of general manager Dave Gettleman, have been hitting it out of the park in free agency, inking several top players this month. This comes on the heels of a successful free agent haul last year that reaped James Bradberry and Blake Martinez.
The Athletic recently ran a piece on each NFL team’s best free-agent addition of the past decade. For the Giants, they chose cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who the team bowled over with a five-year deal back in 2014.
This exercise would be a lot easier if it went back one more year so it could include the 2010 signing of Antrel Rolle. The Giants haven’t hit on many free agents since 2011, which is a big reason why they’ve only made the playoffs twice in the past decade. A spending spree in 2016 produced some one-hit wonders (DE Olivier Vernon, DT Damon Harrison, CB Janoris Jenkins) and it’s too soon to crown 2020 free agent signings James Bradberry and Blake Martinez.
So that leaves Rodgers-Cromartie, who signed a five-year, $35 million contract with the Giants in 2014. “DRC” made the Pro Bowl as an outside corner in 2015 and then was a second-team All-Pro in 2016 after shifting inside to the slot on the Giants’ best defense of the past decade. The freakishly athletic Rodgers-Cromartie had 11 interceptions in four seasons.
The Giants appear to be improving in the area of pro scouting and personal, largely drawing on Gettleman’s experience as the GM down in Carolina. Many of the players he scouted in those drafts are now reaching free agency, making the vetting process a little smoother.
[vertical-gallery id=666755]