The NFL’s free agency frenzy is still on for next week beginning March 18 at 4:00 p.m. ET. There’s a lot of speculation regarding who will sign where. The New York Giants currently have $77.8 million in available cap space to use to sign players and are expected to be major players.
That isn’t being reflected in a recent article by Sheil Kapadia published The Athletic predicting where the Top 100 free agents will land, however. According to Kapadia, the Giants will only land four of the top 50 unrestricted free agents and some those names are less than inspiring.
15. Cory Littleton (LB): Giants
Littleton would make sense for a number of teams, including Washington and the Raiders. But the Giants have money to spend and need to build up one of the least talented defenses in the NFL. They add the play-making, three-down linebacker.
34. Bradley Roby (CB): Giants
Roby is more of a second-tier corner, but he can play man coverage and has the versatility to line up on the outside or in the slot. Roby signed a one-year deal with the Texans as a free agent last offseason and will likely be looking for something more substantial this time around.
47. Germain Ifedi (RT): Giants
It feels like they’ve been trying to rebuild their offensive line for over a decade now. Ifedi fills a hole for the Giants at right tackle and helps their run game get back on track.
49. Leonard Williams (DT): Giants
After GM Dave Gettleman inexplicably sent a pair of draft picks to the Jets for half a season of Williams (0.5 sacks last season), it’s tough to see him letting the 2015 first-round pick walk in free agency.
Littleton would be an ideal signing for the Giants, or any team that he decides to go with. He’s a leader on defense and a Pro Bowl-caliber special teamer who’s still young enough (26) to become part of the young core the Giants are building.
Williams is basically a “must-sign” thanks to the foolish deal general manager Dave Gettleman made in acquiring him. The Giants have to sign Williams because they will have wasted draft picks if they don’t and probably won’t get any relief from the league in the way of compensatory draft picks if he signs elsewhere.
You can pretty much keep the other two. Roby is not a top veteran corner and I’m not sure what value he’ll bring for the price they’ll have to pay him. Ifedi is an average lineman who is probably not the upgrade they need. May as well resign Mike Remmers or let Nick Gates continue to grow there.
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