EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – DECEMBER 29: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Leonard Williams #99 of the New York Giants in action against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium on December 29, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Eagles defeated the Giants 34-17. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Joe Judge wants to lead the Giants to the playoffs in 2021. Signing any of these five free agents would help New York head in that direction.
The Giants only managed to scrape out six wins during Joe Judge’s first season, but that only left them one game behind Washington for the NFC East division crown. New York hopes the return of Saquon Barkley from injury can boost them above the mediocre morass of their division in 2021.
Barkley’s return will certainly give the offense the big-play ability it lacked a season ago. The Giants still need to provide Daniel Jones with a quality No. 1 receiver to work with on the outside. That’s the only way the higher-ups in New York will truly know whether or not Jones has what it takes to be considered the team’s franchise quarterback.
On defense, the Giants could benefit from the addition of another edge rusher and a No. 2 corner to start opposite James Bradberry. New York isn’t blessed with a massive amount of cap space, but they’ve got enough wiggle room to reel in a big fish or two. The following five players should be the team’s top targets in free agency.
5. Leonard Williams
The Giants don’t need to re-sign Williams because of all the draft capital they invested to acquire him. They need to retain his services because he’s a top-notch run defender who flashed development as a pass rusher in 2020.
Keeping him in the fold won’t be cheap. He’ll be looking for $20 million per season once he hits the open market. His lack of sack history will stop him from getting a deal quite that lucrative, but there’s no way he inks for less than $15 million in average annual value.