11 free agent targets Giants could pursue following NFL franchise tag deadline

The Giants were one of nine teams to use the franchise tag on Tuesday, as they did with defensive lineman Leonard Williams. That takes some of the biggest names off the market at some positions where the Giants are desperate for help.

But the reality is that shouldn’t bother them too much. With very limited cap space, they weren’t going to be shopping on the top shelf of free agency anyway.

So who’s left for the Giants to pursue, and who can they actually afford? Here’s a look at a few free agents who could be on their radar when the market opens next week. Some of these are just dreams. But maybe they could seriously pursue one or two:

WR Kenny Golladay – He is now the big dog in free agency after Allen Robinson and Chris Godwin were tagged, which means he’s going to be looking for a deal worth $18-20 million per year. It’s not crazy, considering he’s a huge target (6-foot-4, 214 pounds) and a deep threat who averaged 18.3 yards per catch with 11 touchdowns back in 2019. There were rumors the Giants were interested in him at the trading deadline in October, which might be what’s sparking talk of their interest now. And it might be real. If there’s one big money player they pursue, he could be it. Their hope will have to be that the hamstring and hip injuries that limited him to just five games last season somehow keep his price down. But don’t count on it.

WR Corey Davis – It is hard to imagine the Giants will be able to out-bid anyone for the top-of-the-market guys like Golladay. Maybe the 6-foot-3, 209-pound Davis could be more in their price range. He wasn’t the best receiver on the Titans and has never lived up to his status as the fifth pick of the 2017 draft. But 65 catches for 984 yards and five touchdowns in 14 games is still good production and he’d be the big, vertical receiver the Giants so desperately need. The issue with him is that with the top guys off the market, he becomes a top guy. And that means his price will go up.

WR Curtis Samuel – He had a heck of a breakout year in Carolina, with 77 catches for 851 yards and three touchdowns. He’s a versatile player who can line up as a slot receiver or a running back, and has the speed to be a deep threat, too. He’s 5-foot-11 and the Giants probably need to think bigger, but remember, he’s a former second-round pick of Giants GM Dave Gettleman in Carolina. Plus, he’s a Brooklyn native who surely could be lured back home.

LB Bud Dupree – This could be a real interesting signing, and the kind of good bargain hunting that smart teams do. He’s not generally considered one of the best edge rushers in the NFL, which is why the Steelers didn’t tag him, but his 19 ½ sacks in the last two seasons (and 27 games) can’t be ignored. Most importantly, he’s coming off a torn ACL which is going to scare teams away from giving him a big contract. His smart play should be a one-year, prove-it deal. Could it be worth $8-10 million plus incentives to have him rushing from behind Leonard Williams? It’s low risk if the Giants can find the cap space.

LB Haason Reddick – He wasn’t franchised after a breakout, 12 ½-sack season and he was basically replaced in Arizona by J.J. Watt. And the Giants are intimately familiar with the 26-year-old since he had five of his sacks in one December game against them. Maybe that’s enough to keep the price down on the 6-foot-1, 236-pound edge rusher. He had nearly half of his sack total in one game against a bad offensive line. He nearly doubled his production from his previous three years total (7 ½ sacks). Those are red flags that could lead him to a one-year, prove-it deal later in the market so he can make another run at free agency next year. And the Giants could be there for him.

CB Malcolm Butler – The Giants need to upgrade their cornerback spot across from James Bradberry, at least until they’re sure young Darnay Holmes is ready. And even if he is, they need a capable third corner. So it’s a bit of a gift that the Titans informed the 31-year-old Butler on Tuesday that he will be released after his four-interception season. He’s obviously not the future at this spot, but think of him like his friend, Logan Ryan – a good, relatively short-term solution at a decent price. The Giants got Ryan last August for one year, $7.5 million and he was so valuable they gave him a three-year, $31 million contract for Christmas. Since Butler won’t find a huge market, he might take a similar one-year deal to come play with his friend and for the coach (Joe Judge) he was with in New England from 2014-17.

T Daryl Williams – Another former Gettleman draft pick from Carolina, the 6-foot-6, 330-pounder had a devastating knee injury in 2018, but has now played in all 16 games for two straight years. That alone should mean he’ll be worth more on the market than the one-year, $2.25 million deal he signed with Buffalo last year. If teams are scared off by his medical history, though, the Giants could swoop in with a short-term deal and give him Cam Fleming’s veteran tackle job. He has experience at guard too, which will help if Matt Peart is ready to claim the right tackle spot.

OL Matt Feiler – If the Giants are going to add a veteran lineman – and they should – they really need someone who can play guard and tackle. They could use a starter at right tackle now, who could swing inside in the future. The 6-foot-6, 330-pound Feiler has done both in the last four years with Pittsburgh, starting 39 games in the last three years. Like Daryl Williams, he could be a bargain in the second wave of free agency.

DT Kawann Short – Two years in a row his season has ended due to shoulder surgery and now he’s 32 years old and damaged goods. So why would the Giants want him? Well, he’s another former Gettleman draft pick, and the Giants could have a need at his position if they’re not able to re-sign both  Williams and Dalvin Tomlinson. The 6-foot-3, 315-pounder was a Pro Bowler in 2018, his last healthy season. Still, he shouldn’t be very expensive and the Giants could sell him on a reduced role that will help ease him back – again, only if Williams and/or Tomlinson doesn’t re-sign.

CB Brian Poole – The Giants had a patchwork of corners opposite Bradberry last season. Their hope is that Holmes is ready to step up into that No. 2 job. And while they could go with Isaac Yiadom or Ryan Lewis as their third corner, they could do better by signing the 28-year-old Poole, still one of the better slot corners in the league. The Jets had him on back-to-back one-year deals, the last one being for just $5 million. In a market likely to be depressed by a shrunken cap, he’s not likely to do better. With him in the slot, Holmes could play in his more natural spot on the outside.

LB Jordan Jenkins – The Giants nosed around Jenkins when he was a free agent last year, before he went back to the Jets on a one-year, $3.75 million deal. He had only two sacks last year thanks mostly to a painful shoulder injury, but don’t forget he had 15 in the previous two seasons and he’s still only 26. The Giants have had some luck going the inexpensive one-year, prove-it route with edge rushers (Markus Golden in 2019, Kyler Fackrell in 2020). If they don’t, or can’t, bring Fackrell back, this ex-Jet could take his place.