The NY Giants lost Justin Tuck and Brandon Myers in free agency and now attention could turn to names like Jared Allen, Julius Peppers, Tony Gonzalez, Owen Daniels, Tarell Brown, Antonio Cromartie and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie as free agent options at need positions like cornerback, tight end and defensive end.
The Giants made an offer to Tuck, but it wasn't a very good one and he opted to leave the Raiders, while Myers was always expected to leave and he did and now the Giants could look at Owen Daniels, Jermichael Finley or a name like Eric Ebron in the NFL draft in May. Jerry Reese has some moves to make and many have speculated he could go after Peppers or Allen after the team lost Tuck and while they have in-house names to take over, adding depth with a veteran could help as well. Tony Gonzalez is a dream option, but he is likely to retire despite not filing papers yet.
Age is a factor with both players and Peppers is older than Allen and he had a down season last year, putting up 7.5 sacks and that was hit lowest total during his time with the Chicago Bears. The star signed a huge deal with the team a few years ago and he was set to cost nearly $20 million against the cap and that was something the Bears felt they couldn't handle. The Giants have a need at end and they also have glaring needs at corner and tight end and one reason they let Tuck go was to ensure that they will be able to add a number of lower level free agents, including on the offense line like Geoff Schwartz.
The Giants lost a big player in Tuck and while he had two down season before last year, he had 11 sacks last season and was a leader on defense and now he is with the Raiders. The team felt he was getting too old and since six of his sacks came against the Redskins in the second half of the season when both teams were out of the playoffs, they felt his production didn't match what he could bring next season. The team signed Jameel McClain and Jon Beason at linebacker and now corner is another area where they can try to shore up things, as names like Antonio Cromartie, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Tarrell Brown and Champ Bailey could be in the mix. Terrell Thomas doesn't appear to be coming back and they need depth in the secondary.
The team has offensive line issues and while they signed JD Walton, they need more at center and names like Evan Dietrich-Smith and Brian de la Puente could fit what the team wants to do as well. Steve Smith is an option at wide receiver and this comes after the team is likely to lose Hakeem Nicks, as he is looking to sign with the Panthers, Colts or Niners. Smith could be an affordable option to add depth at the position after his time in Carolina. The giants have some big needs, but they have money to spend and even if they don't make a big splash, they are slowly getting better in a number of weak areas.