Giants Interested In Patrick Robinson
Patrick Robinson could wind up leaving the Eagles while staying in the NFC East. The Giants have interest in signing the free agent cornerback, according to a source who spoke with Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com. 
We learned over the weekend that the Giants are planning to move Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie from cornerback to safety, leaving a major void at nickel cornerback. Filling the gap with Robinson would be a major win for the Giants. The veteran graded out as the sixth-best cornerback in the NFL last season, per Pro Football Focus, and matched a career-high with four interceptions.
The Eagles, naturally, would like to keep Robinson, but the defending champs are placing a serious numbers crunch. The Giants are somewhat limited with just $23.68MM in cap space, but that’s far more flexibility than the Eagles have.
Free agency officially begins on March 14. Teams are permitted to contact agents of players set to become free agents on March 12, that is already happening across the league on the QT.
Ryan Jensen Possible Giants Backup Plan?
- The Giants have been open about wanting to commit to an offensive line overhaul and haven’t ruled out a 2018 line that includes Andrew Norwell and Justin Pugh. But they’re likely to lose D.J. Fluker, Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com notes. Fluker has not enjoyed a particularly productive career, and Pro Football Focus graded him as one of the worst pass-blocking linemen last season. The former first-round pick wouldn’t cost much, but it looks like Dave Gettleman will move on.
- Should the Giants be priced out of the Norwell sweepstakes, they have Ryan Jensen lined up as a cheaper contingency plan, per Pauline. Jensen’s most prominent NFL work has come at center, where he started all 16 Ravens games last season, but he was a part-time guard starter in years past. PFF rated Jensen as a top-10 center last season. The Giants are expected to lose four-year starter Weston Richburg in free agency.
Are Giants Concerned About Josh Rosen's Health?
- Paul Schwartz of the New York Post wonders if Giants head coach Pat Shurmur‘s recent unsolicited comments about Eli Manning‘s enviable durability — and Shurmur’s statement that players who get injured a lot continue to get injured a lot — are an indication that Big Blue is concerned about Josh Rosen‘s injury history. The UCLA quarterback has suffered two concussions, and he also underwent surgery on his throwing shoulder in 2016. Nonetheless, Schwartz writes that Rosen has looked as good as advertised at the combine, so aside from health concerns, he appears to be a viable target for the Giants, who hold the No. 2 overall selection.
Giants To Move DRC To Safety
Last fall, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie‘s chances of staying with the Giants seemed slim. He is in the plans for the team’s new regime, but it’ll be at a different position. The Giants are moving Rodgers-Cromartie from cornerback to safety, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. This summer, he’ll compete with Darian Thompson for the starting job at free safety. 
Cornerbacks don’t always take well to moving to safety, particularly those of DRC’s caliber. He says he’s on board with the plan, however, according to Kimberly Jones of NFL.com (on Twitter).
The Giants had an opportunity to get out from DRC’s contract this offseason. The 31-year-old (32 in April) is slated to carry an $8.5MM cap hit, but releasing him would save $6.5MM against the cap against just $2MM in dead money.
For now, it sounds like the Giants will stick with him at his current rate, but we have a long way to go between now and the start of the 2018 season. It would not be surprising to see the Giants to ask the veteran to accept a pay cut, nor would it be a shock to see them abandon the cornerback-to-safety plan altogether, either by keeping him at corner or releasing him outright. The Giants have $23MM in cap space, a mere pittance compared to other teams in the NFL, and multiple needs to address such as remaking the offensive line and finding a new lead running back.
Last year, Rodgers-Cromartie earned a 77.2 overall score from Pro Football Focus, his lowest showing since 2012. He graded out as the 58th ranked cornerback in the NFL, portraying him as someone who is on the fringe of starter quality. His on-field performance was the least of his issues, however. Rodgers-Cromartie clashed with former coach Ben McAdoo last week – apparently, on four separate occasions – before being suspended “indefinitely” for conduct detrimental to the team. He was brought back after just one game, but his outbursts were an indicator of a much deeper problem in the Giants’ locker room.
In 2016, he earned a career-best 89.9 mark from PFF and was as second team All-Pro by both PFF and the Associated Press. That’s the kind of performance the Giants are looking for as DRC shifts his focus to a new position.
Giants Eyeing Norwell And Pugh?
The Giants appear ready to spend to fortify their offensive line, and they haven’t ruled out a solution of a big-market UFA and retaining Justin Pugh. Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv reports the Giants aren’t conceding they’ll have to lose Pugh if they are indeed to go after standout guard Andrew Norwell. They are expected to pursue Norwell, Vacchiano reports, and Dave Gettleman — whose Panthers signed Norwell as a UDFA in 2014 — didn’t make it much of a secret how the thinking in New York’s front office has changed regarding guard payments.
With Pugh and Weston Richburg as UFAs, and Ereck Flowers‘ status having taken a tumble, the Giants are close to starting over up front. Richburg is not expected back, but the team still has Pugh on the radar. But as of Friday they’re only projected to have $23MM in cap space. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Brandon Marshall profile as cap-casualty candidates, though. And after going 3-13, the team also has other positions of need. Norwell will almost certainly join the eight-figure-AAV guard contingent, which sits at seven members and is headlined by Kevin Zeitler‘s $12MM-per-year deal last March. Pugh’s best work has come at guard, but the Giants have a need at right tackle as well. And Pugh has played extensively at that spot, which figures to help his market.
Giants Expected To Target Graham Gano
The Giants are expected to pursue free agent kicker Graham Gano, according to Dan Duggan of NJ.com.
Gano, of course, would need to actually reach the free agent market before New York can go after him. The Panthers, who have employed the 30-year-old Gano for the past six seasons, are reportedly considering using the franchise tag on their veteran kicker. The franchise tender for placekickers is expected to be worth $4.604MM, a steep raise over Gano’s current $3.1MM annual salary.
Gano led the NFL in field goal conversion rate with a 96.7% success mark in 2017, and that performance earned him his first career Pro Bowl nod. In terms of advanced metrics, Gano was worth 6.3 points through his field goal and extra point work, good for eighth in the league, per Football Outsiders.
The Giants are seemingly aiming to replace Aldrick Rosas, who converted only 72% of his field goal attempts in what was his rookie campaign. New York general manager Dave Gettleman previously served in the same role for the Panthers, so he’s clearly familiar with Gano’s ability.
Salary Cap Rollover For All 32 NFL Teams
This week, the NFLPA updated its salary cap report to include the rollover amounts for all 32 teams in the NFL. The Browns, as expected, lead the league in $58.9MM in cap space rolled over from the previous season. Here is the full rundown of each team’s rollover amounts:
After the Browns, the 49ers ($56MM), Titans ($30.3MM), Jaguars ($27.8MM), and Jets ($17.3MM) boast the highest rollover amounts in the league. The Dolphins ($69K), Saints ($287K), Giants ($365K), Eagles ($514K), and the Seahawks ($547K) have the least amount of rollover. In total, teams carried over nearly $340MM from last season, good for an average of $10.6MM per club.
Giants Notes: Darnold, Richburg, Pugh
Dave Gettleman fired Marc Ross shortly after he took over as Giants GM, but the longtime Big Blue VP of player evaluation may have shed some light as to which players previous Giants scouts were high on and whom the franchise could target with its No. 2 pick. Of the quarterbacks, Ross singled out Sam Darnold during an appearance on NFL Live (via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com). He identified Saquon Barkley as well and even pointed to Notre Dame guard phenom Quenton Nelson.
“You have to look at a quarterback, ut it has to be the right guy. You can’t just force a guy,” said Ross, who interviewed to be the Giants’ GM in December. “The right guy for them, on and off the field, I would think would be Sam Darnold. He’s ultra-talented, he’s a playmaker, he’s a winner. And he’s also very clean off the field. What I mean by that: no issues, great leader, great teammate, great person.”
Darnold would have a chance to develop while Eli Manning — whom the current regime immediately took off the trade market, judging by everything that’s been said thus far this offseason. Ross’ stance on Nelson mostly comes from Gettleman’s comments regarding the franchise being desperate for offensive line upgrades, and it would be unusual for a guard to go this high. But he did seem to echo a theme he’d heard while in his previous post with the Giants.
“All the years of talking about, ‘The Giants need O-line; the Giants need O-line,’” Ross said, “they may even go that route.”
Here’s more Giants news prior to the team’s trip to Indianapolis.
- Weston Richburg will likely leave as a free agent, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv notes, but the Giants will probably gauge his price at the Combine. Raanan reports multiple teams view the longtime Giants center as a quality starter despite the concussion that cost Richburg 12 games last season. A 2014 second-round pick, Richburg performed better in 2015 and ’16.
- The Giants will also likely examine Justin Pugh‘s interest in coming back at the Combine, Vacchiano writes. Pugh’s 2017 injury-marred season will not deter the Giants from re-signing him, Raanan reports. A back injury cost Pugh eight games last season, but it looks like the 2013 first-rounder will be a higher priority to retain than Richburg. Pugh did not undergo surgery and said he would like to be back with the Giants next season. It won’t be cheap, however, and Raanan listed the Jaguars — who have Pugh’s college coach (Doug Marrone) and former NFL coach (Tom Coughlin) as key organizational pillars — as an obvious fit if the guard/tackle leaves the Big Apple.
- Ross is high on Baker Mayfield but doesn’t see an obvious fit in New York. The Giants had a meeting scheduled with Mayfield at the Senior Bowl that didn’t end up taking place, and the Heisman Trophy winner has said a job learning behind Manning would be ideal for him.
- Orleans Darkwa could be a candidate to return on a low-cost deal, Raanan and Vacchiano note. Raanan expects the running back to have suitors on the market. New York will probably be looking to upgrade at running back after struggling on the ground again last season, but Darkwa would make sense as a complementary back. He led the Giants with 751 rushing yards last season and averaged 4.4 per carry.
- While technically forbidden because of tampering, Vacchiano notes the Giants will “absolutely” know where they stand with UFA guard Andrew Norwell. The former Gettleman UDFA find with the Panthers has been linked to the Giants, but considering the issues teams have had finding and developing linemen this decade, Norwell could potentially eclipse Kevin Zeitler‘s record guard deal come March.
NFL Awards Compensatory Picks To 15 Teams
The NFL has awarded 15 compensatory draft picks to teams, as directed by the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The compensatory pick system provides additional picks to teams who lose more/better qualifying free agents in the previous year than gained.
This year, the 32 comp picks were dispersed to 15 different teams. Here is the complete rundown:
Round 3
- No. 97 overall – Cardinals
- No. 98 overall – Texans
- No. 99 overall – Broncos
- No. 100 overall – Bengals
Round 4
- No. 133 overall – Packers
- No. 134 overall – Cardinals
- No. 135 overall – Giants
- No. 136 overall – Patriots
- No. 137 overall – Cowboys
Round 5
- No. 170 overall – Bengals
- No. 171 overall – Cowboys
- No. 172 overall – Packers
- No. 173 overall – Cowboys
- No. 174 overall – Packers
Round 6
- No. 207 overall – Packers
- No. 208 overall – Cowboys
- No. 209 overall – Chiefs
- No. 210 overall – Raiders
- No. 211 overall – Texans
- No. 212 overall – Raiders
- No. 213 overall – Vikings
- No. 214 overall – Texans
- No. 215 overall – Ravens
- No. 216 overall – Raiders
- No. 217 overall – Raiders
- No. 218 overall – Vikings
Round 7
- No. 251 overall – Chargers
- No. 252 overall – Bengals
- No. 253 overall – Bengals
- No. 254 overall – Cardinals
- No. 255 overall – Buccaneers
- No. 256 overall – Falcons
The Bengals, Cowboys, Packers and Raiders lead the way in comp picks this year with four. The Cardinals and Texans each snagged three, the Vikings own two, and the Falcons, Ravens, Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, Patriots, Giants, and Buccaneers each have one.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/22/18
Today’s minor moves:
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: T Michael Dunn
New York Giants
- Waived: LB Deontae Skinner
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: RB Dalton Crossan