John Mara put all the rumors to bed during his end-of-season presser on Wednesday, saying continuity within the front office – specifically with Dave Gettleman as GM – will remain the same.
Is that the right move for the Giants? Well, Gettleman has certainly had his ups and downs during his time with Big Blue.
So we would like to look over his biggest moves to reassess them and see just where his vision for this team’s roster has gone since he joined in 2018:
2018 SEASON
Drafting Saquon Barkley over QB: As Gettleman said, he was a gold jacket-type of player and he couldn’t pass him up. But when you see what Josh Allen has been able to do with the Bills, does it change your mind? Would things be different if Sam Darnold was a Giant over a Jet? Daniel Jones (we’ll get to that later) is still a work in progress after Year 2, but Allen has jolted into the conversation of a Top 10 quarterback in the NFL. Barkley is now recovering from an ACL injury, though he has showcased his Pro Bowl abilities when on the field. Is it what the Giants needed at the time though? GRADE: C+
Signing Alec Ogletree: After signing him to a big deal, the Rams wanted to get rid of him for a reason. Ogletree’s coverage abilities were not good. He did, however, tally five interceptions and two touchdowns on those in 2018. But the tip drill picks don’t tell the whole story. He was a solid tackler but not what the Giants needed up the middle. Plus, the Giants gave away a fourth- and sixth-round pick in that year’s draft to get him. GRADE: D
Signing Patrick Omameh: This was another terrible contract. A three-year, $15 million pact sounds good on the outside for value, but Omameh didn’t even last through half the season. He was horrendous in the first six games of the ’18 season until a Week 7 injury occurred. He was cut on Nov. 10 that year. GRADE: F
Trading Eli Apple/Damon Harrison at NFL deadline: Apple was underachieving. Harrison was playing well, but his contract was the issue. Apple went to the Saints for a 2019 fourth-rounder and 2020 seventh-round selection. The fourth-round pick landed Julian Love, who has been a solid addition to the secondary. Harrison was sent to the Lions for a fifth-round pick. Both players weren’t really missed, and draft compensation is always good instead of cutting. GRADE: A-
’18 Draft Class: We’ve touched on Barkley already. Will Hernandez came after him in the second round, and started off a strong pick. However, after a rough 2020 campaign that included time missed for COVID-19 related reasons, the Giants were slow to throw him back on the line. Lorenzo Carter looked to finally be the pass rusher the Giants hoped in 2020, but he was lost with an Achilles injury. B.J. Hill has taken a backseat to Dalvin Tomlinson, Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence now. Kyle Lauletta was considered Gettleman’s first wasted pick after getting cut in 2019. R.J. McIntosh didn’t play at all in 2020. GRADE: C
2019 SEASON
Trading Odell Beckham Jr. to Browns: The Giants’ receiving corps hasn’t had a playmaker remotely close to that of Beckham’s caliber since the offseason move. It was shocking to some, especially after he got a megadeal. But the main reason for the trade was to fix the culture inside the locker room. Did that specific move do that? Some argue Beckham wasn’t the whole problem, but he was an off-field distraction Gettleman wanted rid of. He also got Jabrill Peppers, a leader on the defense now, as well as a first- and third-round pick. They produced Dexter Lawrence and Oshane Ximines. Beckham is missed on offense, but the overall payout overrules that. He’s also had too many injury problems before and after his time with the Giants. GRADE: B+
Signing Golden Tate: The move was made immediately after OBJ was traded away to fill the void. And while Tate has had some pretty solid catches and plays in a Giants uniform, it wasn’t a good move. Tate’s contract, first of all, was too much at four years, $37.5 million. This season, Tate was also critical about his touches in the pass game, which came out publicly during Monday Night Football against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Giants needed a number one option in the pass game, and they still do. And 2021 will likely see the Giants taking the opt-out in Tate’s contract to get that large number off the books. GRADE: D-
Trading Oliver Vernon for Kevin Zeitler: Gettleman didn’t really have a choice with this one. Vernon was being overpaid and his injury problems in New York weren’t matching up with production. It was a clean swap with Vernon going to the Browns and Kevin Zeitler joining the Giants. Vernon struggled in his first year with the Browns, but had nine sacks and 36 tackles this season before tearing his Achilles in the last game this past week. Zeitler has been about average for the Giants at right guard, nothing too special. The move itself, though, was a necessity to clear cap space. GRADE: B+
Letting Landon Collins walk in free agency: Collins was a defensive beast for the Giants, working as one of their top tacklers and being a leader on that side of the ball since he was drafted out of Alabama. But when it came time to extend him, Collins was asking for a good chuck of change that Gettleman wasn’t keen on giving him. Instead of trading him at the deadline in 2018, though, he let him walk. That’s really the only bad part about this move because Collins’ contract with Washington has been viewed as a burden and not worth it. Peppers has also stepped up in his absence and the safety group is solid for years to come. GRADE: A-
Trading for Leonard Williams: This is up there for Gettleman’s most controversial move. The Giants were going nowhere in 2019, yet he made a deal before the deadline with the Jets to land Williams, who the Green and White simply gave up on after years of underachieving. Two mid-round picks, including a third-round this past year, was given to the Jets when the Giants didn’t need to give up draft capital. But Williams is starting to trend upward after a career 2020 campaign. Will the Giants still be able to sign him? The price tag just went up. GRADE: B
Drafting Daniel Jones: Many didn’t believe that Jones was the right guy to take at No. 6 overall, saying Gettleman could’ve traded down to take him if he wanted to. But the Giants got their guy where they had their draft pick. Is he their guy now? After Year 2, Jones took a step back after finishing his rookie campaign on a high note. Ball security remains a problem, but injuries didn’t help matters when he found his groove in 2020. Overall, there is still time to determine whether or not Jones truly is the QB of the future, but the Giants seem confident he is. He still has to prove more. GRADE: B
Trading back in to draft DeAndre Baker: Well, he’s no longer on the team after his off-the-field situation this offseason where he was charged with armed robbery among other things in Florida. Though all charges were dropped, his relationship with the Giants was already torn. But during his rookie season in ’19, Baker just looked lost. He had a somewhat strong finish, but he couldn’t get the playbook down. There were many other corners/impact players to take when trading back in. GRADE: F
’19 Draft Class: We went over Jones and Baker in the first round, but the best of the three first-rounders in this draft was Lawrence. He has been a beast up front as predicted and will be solid for years to come. Ximines has yet to show what he can really do after injury in 2020. Ryan Connelly was a surprise roster cut before the start of this season after showing promise in 2019 before an ACL tear. Darius Slayton is a solid WR2 for Big Blue. Corey Ballentine never worked out and was cut this year. GRADE: B-
2020 SEASON
Drafting Andrew Thomas: It was always a given that the Giants would have the first pick from the top offensive tackle crop in last year’s NFL Draft. They went with Thomas out of Georgia – a safe pick to many and one that some thought was the best of the top four guys. But Thomas had a horrible start to his career, leading the league in allowed pressures for some time. On the other hand, Mekhi Becton looked great with the Jets, as did Tristan Wirfs and Jedrick Wills Jr. with their respective squads. Thomas turned it around in the second half, but can he continue that moving forward? Too early to tell, but it was a shaky rookie season. GRADE: C+
Free agency pickups: This has been one of Gettleman’s best moves yet and he hit on all three. Blake Martinez and James Bradberry were key players off the rip for the Giants, and that was expected when they were signed in the offseason. But when Xavier McKinney, the touted second-round safety, went down in training camp, Gettleman signed Logan Ryan. He’s been so good, the Giants quickly extended him before anyone got a shot in free agency. All around great moves for this defense that took strides Oh, and let’s not forget about Graham Gano, who is also extended and thrived with the kicker duties. GRADE: A
’20 Draft Class: Like his free agent moves, this is Gettleman’s best draft class to date. We’ve discussed Thomas, but McKinney was banged up for most of the season, yet still showcased his speed and coverage abilities late in the season. Matt Peart is a work in progress at tackle as well as G Shane Lemieux, but both got good experience in Year 1. The linebackers – Cam Brown, Carter Coughlin, T.J. Brunson, and Mr. Irrelevant Tae Crowder – were contributors throughout the year. Chris Williamson had his practice squad contract terminated. GRADE: B+
