Giants Hosting Hutchinson, Ekwonu, Walker
- Hutchinson and NC State tackle Ikem Ekwonu met with the Jaguars this week, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes both will head to New York for Giants and Jets visits (Twitter link). Both players are candidates to go first overall, with Georgia defensive lineman Travon Walker joining them. The Jets and Giants hold four of the next nine picks — the Jets having Nos. 4 and 10 and the Giants at 5 and 7 — and will be set to add top talent. The Giants have a few needs, but it will be hard to see them exiting Round 1 without a right tackle prospect. They have done extensive homework on Mississippi State’s Charles Cross and would likely pounce if Ekwonu, who is rated ahead of Cross almost universally, fell to 5.
- After a strong Combine showing, Walker is being projected as a top-five pick. He will visit with each of the teams holding those selections, with Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com noting the Jags, Lions, Texans, Jets and Giants are meeting with the pass rusher. Despite weighing 272 pounds and frequently playing inside with the national championship-winning team, Walker clocked a 4.51-second 40-yard dash at the Combine. Viewed as a D-lineman with fewer red flags than Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux, it is unlikely Walker will wait long to hear his name called.
- Teams will do their due diligence on Thibodeaux, who is set to meet with the non-Jaguars contingent of the top five (Lions, Texans, Jets, Giants). The Eagles (Nos. 15 and 18) and Falcons (No. 9) are also planning “30” visits with Thibodeaux, Wilson notes. Questions about Thibodeaux’s motor and attitude have injected uncertainty into the defensive end’s status. A fall to Philly at 15 might not shock at this point.
- One season remains on Saquon Barkley‘s contract, and the Giants‘ new regime has fielded trade calls on the previous staff’s top investment. The team is now using a few of its allotted 30 visits on backs. Breece Hall (Iowa State), Brian Robinson (Alabama) and James Cook (Georgia) visited the Giants on Tuesday, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. Hall could be available when the Giants’ second-round pick (No. 36) comes. However, the ex-Cyclones standout grades as a first-round talent on Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board. Cook and Robinson are viewed as later-round prospects.
Giants Restructure Adoree’ Jackson’s Contract
The Giants have been one of the most active teams this offseason in terms of creating cap space. At the start of the process, new general manager Joe Schoen made it clear he wanted to avoid restructures as a means of accomplishing that goal, but the team has done just that for the first time. New York has converted $8.965MM of cornerback Adoree’ Jackson’s salary into a roster bonus, while adding a void year to his deal in 2024. (Twitter link via ESPN’s Field Yates). 
[RELATED: Giants Could Extend CB Bradberry]
The move creates just under $6MM in cap space for the Giants. Given how dire their financial situation was before today – with less than $1MM to spare – it was clear New York would have to continue carving out more room. As many have noted, however, this will still only be the first of many such moves the Giants need to make to be able to afford their draft class, among other things.
How many more deals need to be re-worked will depend in large part, of course, on how the team handles fellow corner James Bradberry. With a cap hit of nearly $22MM next year, Bradberry has long been on the trade block, though most interested teams are waiting to see if he is released outright. While the Giants could also flatten that cap charge through an extension, they still face a long road to true flexibility.
Jackson, 26, was one of the top free agents one year ago after his four-year tenure with the Titans. He signed a three-year, $39MM deal with the Giants to bolster their secondary. In 13 games, he totalled 62 tackles, one interception and eight pass breakups. Given the increases to his cap number and dead money charges this restructure pushes into the remaining years on his deal, the team is clearly comfortable with keeping him in the fold for the foreseeable future.
Giants Have Done “A Ton Of Work” On OT Charles Cross
The Giants, who hold the No. 5 and No. 7 overall selections in this month’s draft, are well-positioned to address two of their biggest needs — offensive tackle and edge rusher — with a top collegiate prospect. Per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, Big Blue has done “a ton of work” on Mississippi State tackle Charles Cross, one of the top OTs in the class.
Cross is not considered to be on the same level as Alabama tackle Evan Neal or NC State blocker Ikem Ekwonu in terms of overall talent, but one scouting source told Dunleavy that Neal and Cross are the best pure left tackles in the class. While all three prospects project well at right tackle, Ekwonu is better-suited to the right side, and he also has the ceiling of an elite guard.
There is a chance that Neal and Ekwonu, or at least one of the pair, will be available for the Giants when they are on the clock with the No. 5 pick. In that scenario, New York could take the highest-rated OL on its board, or it could simply opt to fill a different need, secure in the knowledge that one of those two players and/or Cross will still be there for the taking at No. 7 (assuming, of course, that a club with a Top-4 selection does not nab Cross). But if the first four picks skew towards O-linemen rather than, say, pass rushers, then new GM Joe Schoen may need to pounce on a protector for QB Daniel Jones.
If he ends up with Cross, an accomplished pass blocker who would complete a strong bookend with 2020 first-rounder Andrew Thomas, Schoen should be happy, regardless of which pick he uses. In 719 pass-blocking snaps in 2021, Cross allowed just 16 pressures.
Schoen recently passed along several injury updates on two starting-caliber players already on the roster. LB Blake Martinez (ACL) and WR Sterling Shepard (Achilles), both of whom recently accepted pay cuts, will hopefully be back in action by August, per Schoen (Twitter link via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com). OL Nick Gates, who started all 16 games for the Giants in 2020 but who suffered a career-threatening leg fracture in Week 2 of the 2021 season, may be ready for training camp, as Raanan tweets.
Giants Could Extend CB James Bradberry
Throughout the offseason, it has sounded like the Giants and James Bradberry were heading toward a divorce. However, if the Giants are unable to find a trade partner, they could reverse course and extended their star cornerback instead. Per Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, GM Joe Schoen has expressed a willingness to extend Bradberry “as a last resort.”
Why a last resort? The Giants aren’t trading Bradberry because of reduced play or anything. Rather, the cornerback is set to count for $21.8MM against the cap, and the Giants could save $12.1MM in space by trading the player. The pricey cap hit is the Giants’ primary motivation for exploring a trade, but it sounds like Schoen will clear up some cap space one way or the other.
An extension would decrease Bradberry’s cap hit in 2022…but it would dig into future space, something Schoen and the Giants front office has tried to avoid. The Giants continue to seek a third-round pick for the cornerback, and it will be interesting to see if a team is willing to bite on a trade as the draft approaches. The Chiefs were recently connected to Bradberry.
Despite a down year in 2021, Bradberry should still hold interest for cornerback-needy teams. He’s not too far removed from a Pro Bowl appearance in 2020, when he posted the lowest passer rating of any CB in the league, per PFF. This past season, the 28-year-old finished with 47 tackles and four interceptions.
Jets, Giants Eyeing CB Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner
It sounds like the two New York teams could be eyeing the best cornerback in the draft. According to Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv, both the Giants and Jets have “strong interest” in Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner. Both organizations will host the cornerback on a top-30 pre-draft visit.
The Giants and Jets were present for Gardner’s Pro Day last week, with the Giants going as far as to take the cornerback out for dinner. The two organizations also met with the player at the NFL scouting combine earlier this month. Of course, the Jets and Giants aren’t the only teams to show interest in Sauce; per Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com, the Eagles, Lions, and Seahawks will also host the player on a top-30 visit.
Gardner is one of the draft’s top prospects, and for good reason. Standing at 6-foot-3, the cornerback ran a 4.41 in the 40-yard dash, and after allowing only 6.6 yards per reception last season, he earned consensus All-American and conference Defensive Player of the Year. In 33 games with Cincinnati, the cornerback had nine interceptions.
As Vacchiano notes, many believe Sauce won’t get past the Giants at No. 7. That means there’s little chance that he falls to the Jets at No. 10, so the team may need to use pick No. 4 if they hope to roster the best cornerback in the draft.
Patriots To Sign Jabrill Peppers
After visiting with the Patriots, safety Jabrill Peppers has decided to join the team. He is signing a one-year contract with New England, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). His colleague Field Yates tweets that the deal has a maximum value of $5MM. 
The 26-year-old met with the Patriots yesterday, signalling that a deal could be imminent. Now, he is set to join a new NFL team for the second time in his career. The former first rounder played two seasons in Cleveland, but wound up with the Giants as a result of the Odell Beckham Jr. trade.
He played in the Big Apple for three years, starting in 30 of his 32 appearances. Over that time, the former Michigan Wolverine totalled 196 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions and 17 pass breakups. While his numbers in terms of pass coverage have never been favorable, he has established himself as an effective safety defending the run, and contributed on special teams as a returner as well.
By signing in New England, Peppers will reunite with Joe Judge, his head coach in New York. The longtime Patriots assistant – whose background is in special teams – will work to replace Josh McDaniels‘ contributions on offense this season. While he and Peppers likely won’t work as closely together in New England, therefore, there is still a high degree of familiarity between the two.
Peppers will join a Patriots safety room already featuring the likes of Devin McCourty, Adrian Phillips and Kyle Dugger. Schefter reports that he is expected to be recovered from a torn ACL in time for this season’s training camp. The Giants, meanwhile, will likely turn to Xavier McKinney as Peppers’ replacement.
Chiefs Interested In Trading For James Bradberry?
After the plethora of cost-cutting moves the Giants have made in Joe Schoen‘s first year as general manager, the biggest question surrounding the team remains the future of cornerback James Bradberry. According to Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson, the Chiefs have emerged as an interested party trying to trade for him.
[RELATED: Giants Could Keep Bradberry Past The Draft]
Wilson reports that there are “ongoing trade discussions” between New York and Kansas City. He is quick to add, though, that “varying degrees of confidence” exist on “if and when a deal is ultimately struck”, and that nothing is imminent at this time.
The news comes one day after Ralph Vacchiano of SNY reported that the Giants were looking to have a trade consummated “before the end of the NFL draft”. He also named the Chiefs as a potential destination, along with the Colts and Texans. The Giants’ asking price had reportedly included a third-round pick, but that may no longer be the case.
Vacchiano states that the Giants “are willing to pick up some of Bradberry’s $13.4MM salary” to help facilitate a trade. Moving on from the 28-year-old – either through a trade or release – would save the Giants eight figures in cap space. Knowing that, most other teams are said to waiting to sign him as a free agent, rather than paying with draft compensation. The Chiefs, Wilson notes however, are “extremely interested” in trading for the Pro Bowler with a deal which could include “swapping picks in the middle rounds”.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll referred to Bradberry’s circumstances as “a fluid situation”. Depending on how trade negotiations go, that situation could have a resolution sooner rather than later.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/28/22
Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Atlanta Falcons
- Re-signed: RB Qadree Ollison
Cincinnati Bengals
- Re-signed: WR Stanley Morgan (two-year deal)
New York Giants
- Re-signed: RB Sandro Platzgummer
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: LS Zach Triner
OL Max Garcia To Sign With Giants
The Giants are set to add another veteran to their offensive line. The team announced the signing of Max Garcia to a one-year deal. 
Garcia was a fourth-round pick of the Broncos in 2015. He played four years in Denver, starting 41 of 57 games and establishing himself as the team’s top option at left guard. Over the course of his career, the 30-year-old has also played at right guard and center. He has four playoff appearances to his credit, including the run to Super Bowl 50 with Denver.
After his rookie contract expired, he joined the Cardinals in 2019. He played a combined total of just 67 offensive snaps during his first two years there, however. That changed significantly last season, as Garcia registered 11 starts in his 15 appearances. Playing 809 snaps – the third-highest total of his career – he committed four penalties and allowed four sacks. That led to a PFF grade of 56.3, which is closer to his career norms than the 72.2 mark he received in 2016.
Garcia is the latest addition to the Giants’ offensive line this offseason. The team has already added Mark Glowinski, as well as Jon Feliciano following his release from the Bills. Upgrading the unit has been one of the team’s top priorities over the past few weeks.
By signing with the Giants, Garcia essentially completes an indirect swap of veteran interior linemen between them and the Cardinals. Earlier today, Arizona signed Will Hernandez, who had previously spent his entire four-year career in New York.
Cardinals To Sign OL Will Hernandez
Will Hernandez has reportedly found his second home in the NFL. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the guard is signing with the Cardinals (Twitter link). A team announcement has confirmed that it is a one-year contract.
Hernandez, 26, was a second-round pick of the Giants in 2018. He started right away, and remained the team’s top left guard throughout the majority of his time there. Durability generally wasn’t a concern, as he only missed three games, all of which were in 2020.
Hernandez’s performances didn’t live up to his draft stock, however. His 67.9 PFF grade during his rookie season was the highest of his career. Of his 15 total sacks allowed, seven came this season. 2021 also saw him commit six penalties, again the worst mark in a single season during his NFL tenure.
The Giants have made a number of changes to their offensive line this offseason, after the unit continued its recent struggles in 2021. They signed former Colt Mark Glowinski and brought in Jon Feliciano following his release from the Bills. Projected to be starters along the interior of the line, that left Hernandez in need of a new team.
Last week, the Cardinals hosted Hernandez on a free agent visit. Between that, and the reported loss of starting guard Max Garcia to the Giants, this move doesn’t come as a surprise. Hernandez will now look to rebuild his value while joining not only his former positional coach in Sean Kugler, but one of the NFC’s top teams in general.