The NY Giants are coming into the 2015 offseason with Jason Pierre-Paul, Antrel Rolle and Walter Thurmond hitting free agency and some other players Jerry Reese could target include Mark Ingram, Shane Vereen, CJ Spiller and Jordan Cameron, while Brandon Scherff and Landon Collins are potential draft options.
The Giants come into the winter after going 6-10 in 2014 and they are looking to bounce back into the postseason next year. Tom Coughlin came back despite missing the playoffs for the third straight season and that resulted in the team making a change at defensive coordinator. Steve Spagnuolo was brought back to replace Perry Fewell and that made two coordinator changes in as many seasons after Ben McAdoo took over the offense.
Odell Beckham broke out for Eli Manning and the Giants now have a star to play next to Victor Cruz, who is coming back from serious knee surgery. According to ESPN.com, Giants reporter Dan Graziano writes that the team will be making a strong effort to keep JPP this offseason and they will consider using the franchise tag if they can't work out a long term deal. The Giants are projected to have around $20 million in cap space and they could look at freeing up space by making cuts.
Graziano writes that Mathias Kiwanuka and Jon Beason could be potential options to get cut loose to help give the team more cap flexibility. The team also can look at giving Eli Manning a contract extension, as that could help lower his yearly cap hit. Pierre-Paul is coming into the winter after a bounce back season with 12.5 sacks and he will be looking to get a significant pay raise. The franchise tag is expected to be around $15 million for a defensive end and they could use that if they can't agree to a deal.
The Giants may not spend big in free agency past JPP, but they could look at some running back help after the way Rashad Jennings was banged up last season. Andre Williams looked good as a rookie, but the Giants need more depth and they could look at adding CJ Spiller, Shane Vereen or Mark Ingram. Vereen or Spiller could fit in as pass catching options out of the backfield and they could take over where the Giants hoped David Wilson would before he retired. The Giants were ranked near the bottom of the league in rushing and if they can be more productive, the team could have a huge offensive season.
Beckham won rookie of the year after a fantastic season with over 90 catches and 12 touchdowns and now the team has another first round pick in the top half. The pick is in the top 10 at number nine and some mock drafts have the team taking Brandon Scherff, an offensive lineman from Iowa. Landon Collins from Alabama and Shaq Thompson have also been mentioned as potential targets.
The Giants have pressure to make the playoffs in 2015 after having another losing season, but they at least finished the year on a high note. The team won three of their final four games of the season and the way Beckham played made everyone feel better about the way things ended. The Giants need to bounce back and Eli Manning is looking to get the team into the playoffs.
