Jim Gallo asks: Ed, I’ve been extremely concerned since training camp began that the inexperience of the Giants’ center backs will be a major problem. I believe they’ve been counting on several young rookies and second-year players to step up and take opportunities. After watching the first two preseason games, my concern has turned to panic. They took the same risk with the OL last year, and look what happened. Are there any experienced solutions they can bring in this late in the preseason? Or are we doomed to watch the center backs fall off and another season turn into disaster?
—
Adam Jacobs asks: I have a question regarding DB reinforcements. How long will our GM and HC wait to sign a cornerback or safety, preferably one who has been in the game a few times? It’s great to have young players with talent, but the team seems very thin at both positions and in no hurry to fix the problem. Am I missing something?
Ed says: Patience, guys! Rosters will be cut from 90 players to 53 on Tuesday. That’s the day 1,200 NFL players will lose their jobs. Many of those will be cornerbacks. That is – and almost certainly will be – the time for the Giants to make one or more moves at cornerback. There are a handful of free agents available right now. Ahkello Withersoon, a seven-year veteran, might be the best. But he may also be waiting for the right opportunity and the right paycheck. Neither of those is likely to happen with the Giants.
Two years ago, when the Giants were fifth in the waiver priority rankings, they were aggressive. Assistant GM Brandon Brown has promised they will be aggressive this time around, too.
Warren Schuman asks: So if I understand the new kickoff rule correctly, any ball kicked before the landing zone is automatically dead and placed on the 40-meter line.
If that’s true, does that mean onside kicks are no longer allowed, or do teams have to come up with a new strategy based on kicking into the landing zone (I can’t imagine how that could be successful)?
Ed says: Warren, onside kicks are allowed — in a limited way. The trailing team can onside kick in the fourth quarter, BUT they must explain it. So there are no surprise onside kicks. This makes sense because the onside kick requires a different formation. Also, the trailing team can only onside kick twice.
Max Bernstein asks: Am I just a crazy fan because I think the Giants will be good this year?
Not necessarily Super Bowl Contenders, but I think they should definitely be at least a viable team with a record around .500.
And yet the Giants are being called one of the worst teams in football by the national media! SB Nation calls them a desolate organization, ESPN puts their “highest” season at 9-8 (and their lowest at 4-13), CBS lists them at #28 in their preseason rankings…etc.
The Giants’ roster isn’t perfect, but it’s full of solid NFL players and at least a few real stars (mostly on defense, but still). Plus, Jones is at least an average quarterback in the league, and at best even better. Why does the media paint such a negative picture of this team?
Ed says: Max, it’s absolutely possible the Giants win eight or nine games. It’s also absolutely possible they win three or four. There are a lot of variables. If things go in the Giants’ favor, if Daniel Jones stays healthy and plays well, the offensive line is adequate, the secondary holds up adequately, etc., they have a chance. If those variables that have been discussed time and time again go poorly for the Giants, it’s going to be a long year.
As for why the story is so bleak, I’m sure it’s largely because Saquon Barkley is gone and Jones is still the quarterback.
Mark P. Lynch asks: With only one day of roster cuts, as opposed to several in years past, it’s going to be a very chaotic day for all teams. Will the Giants change their approach to prepare for that day? And how does the process work? I know the Giants are number 6 in the queue. Do they just claim all the players they want, plus any they may not covet but claim in case they don’t get the players they really want?
Ed says: Mark, the cut process changed last year, so this won’t be the first time teams have done it this way.
Here’s something from Dan Duggan of The Athletic that explains a lot:
NFL teams maintain their position in the order of players regardless of how many players they claim, so the Carolina Panthers, who are ranked No. 1, could claim 53 players and get all of them.
Teams can submit claims for as many players as they want, and must set a limit on how many they want to receive. They prioritize each claim to determine who they get. So if the Giants want a cornerback, they can submit claims for several and get the one who is at the top of their list and not claimed by a team above them. After a team is awarded a claim, it must notify the league of the corresponding player on the list that they want cut.
So the Giants could claim six cornerbacks, give them priority 1-6, and state that they would like to get two of them if possible. They would then be awarded the best two of the six cornerbacks they claimed that were not claimed by teams with a higher priority than the Giants.
The Giants could claim 15, but also state they want a cornerback, a linebacker, a defensive tackle, etc.
David Kanter asks: I read the stories over the last few weeks about Nix, Penix and McCarthy (yes, I understand he’s injured now). And this week the overwhelming media criticism and ridicule of Jones. Tell me something to make me feel better. Because after this first quarter, I’m so disappointed to think about another season of this crap.
Ed says: David, do you remember the only preseason series that Daniel Jones and the starting offense played last year? They ran 75 yards for a touchdown. They looked fantastic. Did that matter when the season started? Not even a little bit. The first quarter meant nothing. It didn’t count. It was basically just practice. It was the first time the guy played in a game where he could get hit since he suffered a serious knee injury.
I’m not going to tell anyone that Jones is a great quarterback. We know he’s not. The derision has been going on for years. It’s not new or surprising. And it doesn’t matter. By the way, were you talking about “garbage” when Jones was a big reason the Giants made the playoffs – and won a playoff game – just two seasons ago?
If the quarterbacks you mentioned turn out to be great – and I have my doubts, even though I would have been OK with signing JJ McCarthy – then the Giants and many other teams are wrong.
My advice? Stop worrying about the spilt milk of the draft. It can’t be undone, and Malik Nabers is damn good. Worry about what happens from Week 1 onwards. And what the Giants do at the quarterback position in the future if Jones doesn’t play well enough this year. That’s what matters now.
ctscan123: Hi Ed, I was reading the comments section on one of the BBV articles this week and there was a discussion about whether the Giants could have kept Barkley with Howie Roseman’s magical vapor year strategy. While I’m not particularly interested in that, I’m curious to see how Roseman’s strategy ultimately works out. They have a Super Bowl window right now and are apparently robbing Peter to pay Paul. Exactly how bad will Peter fare and when?
Even with the salary cap going up every year, Hurts’ future salary cap situation is insane. Is the idea that they’re just going to keep putting the issue off until their deadline comes and then just blow it all up? Will there be a year where they have $59 to pay the whole team and field a roster made up entirely of Arena League and Canadian players and just start over after that? What’s the endgame for the gap, your strategy? Will they ever actually have to foot the bill?
Ed says: CT, we’ve talked about this before. Howie Roseman is doing what he thinks is the right thing for a team that is now focused on winning. A team that is in Super Bowl contention. I agree with him. If he has to “pay the price” in 2028 or 2029 for a Super Bowl title or two in the meantime, that’s a trade he’d be happy to make.
How much will he have to pay in the future? That’s impossible to say. The salary cap keeps going up. For the 2024 season, the $255.4 million cap hit is well above what’s expected. When GMs push that money into the future, they’re betting on the hope that by that date in a few years, whatever the cap hit will be, it won’t look nearly as painful as it does today because of the ever-increasing cap hit.
Those unused years mean that at some point you’ll have large amounts of money left over that you can’t use to improve your team. That’s why it doesn’t make sense for a younger, developing team like the Giants to use those years.
Submit a question
Have a question about the Giants? Email it to [email protected] and it might end up in our weekly mailbag.
