The New York Giants have taken care of one of their biggest free agent priorities by signing offensive lineman Will Beatty ahead of the March 12 signing period and the team has a number of other needs to address, including restricted free agent Victor Cruz and players in the secondary.
The Giants made a number of cuts to veteran players last month to make cap room, including main contributors Ahmad Bradshaw, Michael Boley and Chris Canty. The team also reworked deals with cornerback Corey Webster and center David Baas to get themselves even further under the number and now they have about $10 million in cap space to work with and possibly more to come later.
The team could decide to cut some other veteran players to clear cap space, as they have a number of their own players to take care of before they can even think about free agents. The Giants are working on deals with Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz and also have important free agents like Andre Brown, Stevie Brown, Martellus Bennett and Kevin Boothe to sign.
Past those players, the team has needs at a number of positions, including cornerback, linebacker, tight end, offensive line, wide receiver and safety. The team may lose Bennett as well as wideout Ramses Barden, although they feel last year's draft pick Reuben Randle can take over for him.
Cornerback will be a prime target for the team in both free agency and the draft and the team will have some solidarity at the position after Corey Webster took a pay cut. The team still has Prince Amukamara and Jayron Hosley on the roster and Terrell Thomas might be able to contribute after making a comeback from his third knee surgery.
There are a number of free agent cornerbacks on the market, including names like Chris Gamble, Antoine Cason, Brent Grimes, Aqib Talib and Quentin Jammer among more name players. The Giants have some money to work with and if they can grab someone under the radar they can find some players of value.
The tight end position will also be a focus for the Giants if they decide to let Martellus Bennett go after a breakout season. He will be looking for a decent contract and the team could decide to go a different route, as Anthony Fasano, Delanie walker, Dustin Keller and Brandon Myers are all available.
Jerry Reese has proven to be an excellent general manager when it comes to bringing in new players and letting old ones go and he could look at many different free agents, including Nick Barnett, Eric Winston, Jake Long and others. The Giants found value in the free agent market last season and could do so again this year.
The team missed out on the playoffs one year after winning the Super Bowl and will be looking to get back in the postseason in 2013.
