Though they haven’t made any groundbreaking additions, the New York Giants have been quite active in free agency.
The Giants have brought back players like Jermaine Eluemunor and Micah McFadden, while adding newcomers such as Isaiah Likely, Tremaine Edmunds, and Patrick Ricard.
But after restructuring and cuts before free agency, there were hopes of retaining more players or adding a true star. With this in mind, it’s worth questioning whether ignoring positional needs and choosing cheaper options in other areas has been a mistake.
Guard Position Still Desperately Needs Addressing
Last year’s starting right guard, Greg Van Roten, is now a free agent. At the start of free agency, the media linked New York to several veteran players at this position. Names like Alijah Vera-Tucker, Wyatt Teller, and Joel Bitonio are all strong options as replacements, but talks with all of them fell apart early.
Since then, they haven’t taken any significant action, with the only notable move being re-signing Evan Neal.
Now seemingly betting on landing one in the draft, the Giants are making a risky move and potentially revealing their hand on a middle-round pick.
Cornerback Room Missing a Starter
A move all Giants fans were eager to see was whether New York would try to bring back the young standout corner Cordale Flott. Unfortunately, like many other Giants players, he signed with the Tennessee Titans on a surprisingly costly three-year, $45 million deal.
With this significant loss in the corner room, they need a boundary corner. New York added Greg Newsome, who has shown flashes but has given up nine touchdowns and nearly 1,200 yards over the past two seasons.
The Newsome pickup will probably serve more as a depth option than a starter at corner, highlighting their urgent need for a dependable replacement for the now 24-year-old Tennessee cornerback.
Now that the other top names, such as Jamel Dean and Riq Woolen, have been signed by other teams, a significant gap in the defensive backfield still exists that could have been filled.
Will They Continue Adding to the Front Seven?
The most notable defensive addition has been linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. Edmunds offers impressive height and athleticism at the linebacker position, making it a solid pickup for a group that was nearly empty last week.
New York also re-signed veteran Micah McFadden. McFadden missed nearly all of last season due to injury, but he has demonstrated enough potential in the past that his return is expected.
Although these linebackers are viable, fellow free agent Devin Lloyd would have been perfect. Coming off a career season, he only signed a three-year, $45 million deal. The 2025 All-Pro would have been a game changer, and although it’s possible the contract could have been a bit higher due to state taxes, his talent makes the few extra million worth it compared to signing Edmunds.
The other significant issue in the front seven is the defensive tackle position. Last season, alongside Dexter Lawrence, it was a constant rotation trying to identify who would make a meaningful impact. There are still many defensive tackles available, with veterans D.J. Reader and Dalvin Tomlinson among the top options.
Given the affordability, fixing the defensive tackle position is arguably the simplest solution, yet it still hasn’t been addressed.
Having only three picks in the first four rounds of this year’s draft, questions about how the New York Giants will fill roster holes are increasing significantly.
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