Earlier this week, Pro Football Focus broke down the best and worst signings for all 32 teams following the conclusion of the first week of free agency. Interesting however, they deviated from their usual structure when it came to the New York Giants.
Before we get to that, here was PFF’s take on the Giants’ worst free agent move(s) so far:
Worst move: Overpaying for James Bradberry and tagging Leonard Williams
New York traded a 2020 third-round pick and a 2021 fifth-round pick in exchange for Williams midway through the 2019 season. And by tagging him, that 2021 fifth-round pick becomes a fourth, and they’ll also have to pay him like an elite interior defensive lineman. Williams has been durable throughout his career, playing 4,187 snaps since 2015, but he hasn’t touched the elite level many thought he would. In fact, He’s failed to earn a top-25 PFF grade in each of the last three seasons. Williams is a good player, but he’s not necessarily worth what the Giants are paying him.
We pegged James Bradberry as a risky free agent prior to the week, and the Giants went ahead and made him one of the three highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL. Bradberry has fallen outside of the top 50 corners in coverage grade in each of the last three seasons and surrendered five more explosive plays (53) than any other outside corner in that same period.
Ironically, had the Giants not “overpaid” for Bradberry, they’d be getting hammered for not addressing the cornerback position. It’s the typical lose-lose situation for the Giants and Dave Gettleman, especially considering the cornerback market was reset. A free agent is worth what teams will pay for them and the market went up. Trashing the dollar amount now may look different in hindsight years from now.
As is relates to Williams… We’ve beaten that dead horse relentlessly. You already know our feelings.
So, what about the Giants’ best move(s)? They addressed major issues inside with the signing of Blake Martinez and finally landed a quality running back to spell Saquon Barkley. They replaced Rhett Ellison with the league’s best blocking tight end and added quality depth across the board.
Which of those moves gets the nod as best? None of them, because according to those at PFF, the Giants have done literally nothing right this offseason despite their very own value chart suggesting the Giants are one of the most improved teams in the league. Weird.
Best move: Nothing
There wasn’t much to like with the New York Giants’ week of free agency. They entered the week with a considerable amount of cap space and needed to improve a secondary that ranked 30th in team coverage grade just a season ago as well a pass-rush that finished 25th in team pass-rush grade. Instead of decidedly improving both, they rolled the dice.
It’s hard to rationalize this take because on one hand, you have PFF listing the Giants as one of the most-improved teams in the NFL. On the other hand, you have PFF telling you the Giants made literally no good moves in free agency.
Does anyone care to explain this rationale?
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