The New York Giants had one of the most underwhelming offenses in 2013, but the team feels pretty confident about what next season could look like even if it does not include one of their biggest stars. General manager Jerry Reese briefly spoke on the Giants' offensive needs at the NFL scouting combine currently taking place and noted that a wide receiver is not the team's top priority like everyone assumes.
Hakeem Nicks has played his final days as a member of the New York Giants. The team has all but said word for word that Nicks will not be returning. It had been speculated whether or not Nicks was in the long-term plans for the Giants after Victor Cruz signed a long-term deal last offseason. After Reese said the receiver 'deserves' to test the market, it is pretty clear Nicks can be considered out.
The one-two punch Giants fans were hoping for at the wide receiver position never panned out. Nicks finished the year with just 896 yards off 56 catches and no touchdowns. He missed time for injuries once again and an unexplained holdout at the start of the year left a bad taste in everyone's mouths. However, if Nicks is gone, that does not mean the wide receivers corps suffers. Reese has plenty of confident in Rueben Randle as a top threat.
"We continue to expect him to grow and be a more mature player and be a strong contributor for us," Reese said, via NJ.com. "I think he's a good player. I'm not sure if he's a one, if he's a two, if he's a three, but I think he can contribute to our receiving corps."
Randle has looked strong in his brief time with the Giants. He has shown the ability to be a real deep threat for quarterback Eli Manning. He is averaging 15.2 yards per catch and put up 611 yards and six touchdown catches to lead the team last season. With Nicks unlikely to be back, there are heavy expectations on Randle to fill the void quickly.
The Giants will have to go out and sign another free agent for help, but with Cruz and Randle, they can afford to find a cheaper option. The team could easily go after someone like Kenny Britt who might just need a change of scenery and a new quarterback to play better. Riley Cooper or James Jones could also be strong options for the team in 2014.