Giants Are Set On Special Teams
- Olivier Vernon signed the biggest deal of the offseason with the Giants, but Todd Archer of ESPN.com still sees Redskins cornerback Josh Norman as the best addition to the NFC East. The division offers up formidable receivers like Dez Bryant, Odell Beckham Jr., and Jordan Matthews, which underscores the importance of a cornerback who can hold his own in one-on-one matchups. Norman also has a fearless approach to the game which could be infectious for the Redskins’ D. On the flipside, Archer voices some concern over whether Norman is a true No. 1 corner and also wonders if Washington’s front seven can offer the same kind of support as Carolina’s did in 2015.
- You won’t see many roster battles when it comes to the Giants‘ special teams unit, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post writes. The Giants extended kicker Josh Brown earlier this offseason and, just this morning, they extended punter Brad Wing through the 2019 season. Beyond those two, long snapper Zak DeOssie and return specialist Dwayne Harris are locks to keep their jobs, barring injury. For a full rundown of the Giants’ depth chart, check out their page on Roster Resource.
Giants, Punter Brad Wing Agree To Extension
1:13pm: Wing ‘s three-year extension is worth $6.45MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal also contains $3.725MM in guarantees, $2MM of which are coming to the punter via his signing bonus.
1:03pm: The Giants announced that they have signed punter Brad Wing to a contract extension. The new deal will take Wing through the 2019 season. Financial terms of the deal are not yet known. 
[RELATED: Giants Notes: Williams, Darkwa, Harrison]
Wing, acquired in a trade with the Steelers in September 2015, posted a 44.5-yard gross average and a 38.9-yard net average on 76 punts last season. He placed 33 punts inside the 20, had 10 touchbacks, and his long kick traveled 64 yards. As noted in the Giants’ press release, Wing tied a franchise single-season record with 33 punts inside the 20-yard line, matching watermark set by Brad Maynard in both 1997 and 1998.
In college, Wing played alongside Giants star Odell Beckham Jr. at LSU. After his time with the Tigers, he hooked on with the Eagles as a UDFA but wound up being waived at the end of training camp. In January 2014, Pittsburgh inked Wing to a reserve/future deal and he was able to make an impression as a rookie. In his first season with the Steelers, the Australian had a 43.7-yard gross average on his 61 punts with 20 kicks inside the 20-yard line. Still, Pro Football Focus wasn’t overly high his ’14 season, ranking him 28th out of the league’s 32 regular punters, with a -7.6 grade.
Wing earned the minimum salary in 2015, which worked out to about $510K for a player with his level of experience. This offseason, Wing was an ERFA, so he did not have the ability to test the open market.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Giants Likely Not Eyeing JPP Extension
- An in-season extension agreement between the Giants and Jason Pierre-Paul seems unlikely, James Kratch of NJ.com writes. Pierre-Paul’s altered career arc and looming extensions for Johnathan Hankins and/or Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg could make JPP a lower priority. Of course, if the former All-Pro shows improvement in his new form, that could certainly change. Kratch writes JPP should be hesitant to sign an extension on his one-year, $10MM deal in order to reach free agency again and see what’s out there.
Schwartz: Victor Cruz Need Bounce-Back Year
- With no other proven options at wideout behind Odell Beckham Jr., the Giants need a revival from slot man Victor Cruz, opines Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. The last time he played the majority of a season, 2014, Cruz hauled in 73 receptions, 998 yards and four touchdowns. Knee and calf injuries cost the 2012 Pro Bowler all but six games over the previous two years, including the entire 2015 season, but Big Blue brought Cruz back after he agreed to a considerable pay cut. If Cruz, 29, doesn’t resemble his previous form, second-round rookie Sterling Shepard is likely the Giants’ best hope behind Beckham. The 5-foot-10 Oklahoma product started well in spring workouts, per Schwartz.
Examining Giants' LB Corps
- The Giants haven’t been mentioned as a suitor for Tulloch, but they do have a relatively unsettled situation at linebacker, as Kratch writes in a reader mailbag. Devon Kennard and Jasper Brinkley are expected to start, but Kratch believes that J.T. Thomas — who last spring signed a three-year deal that contained $4.5MM guaranteed — could be a surprise cut. Kelvin Sheppard, whom New York added this offseason on a one-year, minimum salary benefit contract, could also be released, but the Giants are likely to retain reserve ‘backer Mark Herzlich, who is reportedly viewed as a locker room leader. As Roster Resource details, Big Blue also fields Keenan Robinson (who received $1MM guaranteed this offseason), Jonathan Casillas, and rookie B.J. Goodson at linebacker.
- The Giants haven’t been mentioned as a suitor for Tulloch, but they do have a relatively unsettled situation at linebacker, as Kratch writes in a reader mailbag. Devon Kennard and Jasper Brinkley are expected to start, but Kratch believes that J.T. Thomas — who last spring signed a three-year deal that contained $4.5MM guaranteed — could be a surprise cut. Kelvin Sheppard, whom New York added this offseason on a one-year, minimum salary benefit contract, could also be released, but the Giants are likely to retain reserve ‘backer Mark Herzlich, who is reportedly viewed as a locker room leader. As Roster Resource details, Big Blue also fields Keenan Robinson (who received $1MM guaranteed this offseason), Jonathan Casillas, and rookie B.J. Goodson at linebacker.
- Earlier today, we learned that former Giants first-round pick Kenny Phillips was officially hanging up his cleats. Phillips, 29, spent six seasons in the NFL, and spent time with the Saints and Eagles in addition to New York.
Giants' Right Tackle Outlook
- While the Giants have shown interest in veteran free agent offensive tackles during the offseason – most recently Eugene Monroe – they haven’t added any, leaving Paul Schwartz of the New York Post perplexed. The Giants don’t want to shift 2015 ninth overall pick Ereck Flowers from the left to the right, which has turned off potential veteran acquisitions, per Schwartz. For now, Marshall Newhouse is in the incumbent starter on the right and will work this summer to retain the job. Newhouse started there in all 14 of his appearances last season and failed to impress Pro Football Focus’ evaluators, who ranked him 68th among 77 qualifying tackles.
JPP May Never Recapture Pre-Injury Value
- The Giants brought back Jason Pierre-Paul on a one-year, $10MM contract, but Paul Schwartz of the New York Post believes the former first-team All-Pro would have commanded a megadeal similar to Olivier Vernon‘s with either Big Blue or another team had the fireworks accident not derailed his career on July 4, 2015. Pierre-Paul put together a 12.5-sack season in 2014 and was offered a $60MM pact as a franchise-tagged player before recording just one sack in eight games during a ’15 campaign defined by his hand injury.
Eli Manning On List of 10 Most Overpaid Vets
- ESPN.com’s Nathan Jahnke (Insider subscription required) runs through his list of the NFL’s 10 most overpaid veterans. Giants quarterback Eli Manning leads the list, with Vikings left tackle Matt Kalil, Packers linebacker Clay Matthews, Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr, and Vikings running back Adrian Peterson also appearing on the list.
[SOURCE LINK]
Opinion: Rashad Jennings One Of Top-Five RB Contracts
- The Giants boast one of the league’s best running back contracts, writes John Breitenbach of Pro Football Focus, who places the two years remaining on veteran Rashad Jennings‘ pact among the top-five deals in the NFL (from a team perspective). Jennings, 31, originally signed a four-year, $10MM deal with New York, and is now scheduled to earn base salaries averaging roughly $2.3MM in each of the next two seasons. After rushing for more than 800 yards in 2015, Jennings is expected to form a rotation with Shane Vereen, rookie Paul Perkins, and others during the upcoming season.
Giants Notes: Williams, Darkwa, Harrison
- Having free agent pickup Damon Harrison plugging up the middle will do more for the Giants than bolster their run-stuffing, Newsday’s Tom Rock writes. By clogging up the middle, Snacks should allow Johnathan Hankins and Jay Bromley more sack opportunities and improve the overall ability of the team to push the pocket in on opposing quarterbacks. While the ex-Jet’s $9.5MM/year salary might seem high for a two-down player, the Giants firmly believe that he will benefit them on third downs by lengthening the distance their opponent has to go with his work on first and second downs. Giants opponents converted 47% of third-down opportunities in 2016, the highest figure in the league, so Big Blue needs Harrison to help in that department.
Rookie Paul Perkins could jettison fellow running back Andre Williams off of the Giants‘ roster, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post writes. In addition, veteran Orleans Darkwa also finds himself on the hot seat and it seems as though Williams and Darkwa could be vying for one roster spot. Williams disappointed in his sophomore effort while Darkwa has been dealing with a lower-leg injury all spring.
Rashad Jennings is locked in as the Giants’ No. 1 running back, as shown on their Roster Resource page, with Shane Vereen, Williams, Perkins, Darkwa, and Rainey in support. The Giants also have fullbacks Will Johnson and Nikita Whitlock in the mix. Not long ago, Williams was being looked at as someone who could lead the Giants’ rushing attack. Now, he has been relegated to a support role and could conceivably get squeezed out altogether.