It’s certainly understandable why the Giants didn’t expand financially to keep Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinnie.
got it. The Giants don’t view running back or safety as special positions that require them to spend a lot of money. There’s nothing wrong with that approach. Many teams think the same way.
But (you probably knew the “but” was coming), it’s impossible to discount the talent the Giants saw coming through the door and dismiss these deductions as insignificant. .
Barkley is one of the best running backs in the NFL, and McKinney is a rising 24-year-old who played everywhere on defense last season.
Replacing them with cheaper personnel won’t ultimately make the Giants a better team.
The key will be how the Giants decide to allocate their funds, and the Giants presented an eventful card on the first day of free agency.
There’s no question they improved their defense by trading for Brian Burns and signing the soon-to-be 26-year-old to a long-term contract.
And with John Runyan Jr. starting at one of the guard spots and Jermaine Elemunor replacing Evan Neal at right tackle, the offensive line has undoubtedly improved.
It remains to be seen how much these upgrades will lead to Sunday’s victory.
Devin Singletary is more in line with what the Giants envision for this position in terms of production meeting costs. The 26-year-old gained 898 yards with the Texans in 2023.
Barkley had 962 RBIs with the Giants. Are they equal players? no. But for three years and $16.5 million, the Giants will use Singletary as their lead back, but not their only ball carrier, and there’s still work to be done there.
In other cases, there were fill-in-the-blank additions.
Drew Lock’s one-year salary of $5 million is a fair price for a decent backup quarterback, and the 27-year-old has some upside.
Veteran safety Jalen Mills should not be considered a replacement for McKinney at his $1.2 million veteran minimum. He is a versatile piece to throw into the secondary mix.
Wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie knows the offensive system well from his time with the Bills and will compete for a spot on the roster.
The return of long snapper Casey Kreiter and kick returner Gunnar Olszewski will ensure continuity on special teams.
Giants free agent class: B+.
