Giants still have much to do to re-sign own free agents

The Giants brought in Martellus Bennett in free agency on a one year contract, and he exceeded expectations. However, there are no reports of the team prioritizing Bennett thus far. This should change, ideally before free agency opens on March 12. Travis Beckum is also a free agent, challenging the depth at the position.Although the Giants have Hakeem Nicks and Rueben Randle under contract, and Victor Cruz is a restricted free agent, the team knows more than most about the effects of injuries, and their key depth at the position is hitting the market. Ramses Barden as already said that he is likely to pursue an opportunity elsewhere, but Domenik Hixon can likely be retained.The Giants released Michael Boley, their leader along the offensive line, and Chase Blackburn and Keith Rivers are free agents. They must re-sign at least one of these two players to remain competitive. Can Mark Herzlich emerge in his third season to replace Blackburn? It remains to be seen.View the list »
The Giants have two key free agents along the offensive line: Kevin Boothe and Sean Locklear. Boothe must be re-signed to fill the left guard spot. Locklear was the superior right tackle last season, but Diehl is under contract. Might the Giants release Diehl and re-sign Locklear?

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Although the New York Giants were able to secure their top offseason priority by re-signing their left tackle, William Beatty, to a new, 5 year contract, the reality is that they still have over a dozen unrestricted free agents that they still must take care of, at nearly every position, and in key roles.

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With the team very close to the salary cap limit, it is clear that the Giants still have work to do, even though they have already terminated the contracts of Ahmad Bradshaw, Michael Boley, and Chris Canty. Whether that comes through more terminations, such as Corey Webster or David Diehl, or through contract restructures, remains to be seen.

That does not even account for the team's restricted free agents, which includes Andre Brown, Stevie Brown, and Victor Cruz. Which players, and positions, should the Giants be most concerned about?

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  • The Giants have two key free agents along the offensive line: Kevin Boothe and Sean Locklear. Boothe must be re-signed to fill the left guard spot. Locklear was the superior right tackle last season, but Diehl is under contract. Might the Giants release Diehl and re-sign Locklear?
  • The Giants released Michael Boley, their leader along the offensive line, and Chase Blackburn and Keith Rivers are free agents. They must re-sign at least one of these two players to remain competitive. Can Mark Herzlich emerge in his third season to replace Blackburn? It remains to be seen.
  • Although the Giants have Hakeem Nicks and Rueben Randle under contract, and Victor Cruz is a restricted free agent, the team knows more than most about the effects of injuries, and their key depth at the position is hitting the market. Ramses Barden as already said that he is likely to pursue an opportunity elsewhere, but Domenik Hixon can likely be retained.
  • The Giants brought in Martellus Bennett in free agency on a one year contract, and he exceeded expectations. However, there are no reports of the team prioritizing Bennett thus far. This should change, ideally before free agency opens on March 12. Travis Beckum is also a free agent, challenging the depth at the position.
  • Lawrence Tynes has been a reliable kicker for the Giants for years, twice sending them to the Super Bowl off of his foot. He finds himself in free agency now, however, and it is likely that he will test the market. A reliable kicker is hard to come by, so they would do well to try to re-sign him.
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, Newark Football Examiner

Having grown up in New Jersey, Matt has naturally been around Giants and Jets football his entire life. But at a young age, he also found an affinity for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and as he got older, his fondness for the game itself grew beyond rooting for certain teams. Although the NFL season...

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