How Giants GM Joe Schoen Has Avoided Mistakes Made in the Past

Time will tell if Giants general manager Joe Schoen's approach to roster building puts the Giants back on track. So far, there's definitely been a noticeable difference in how he's approached things.

Over four years ago, the Giants hired former Carolina General Manager Dave Gettleman to lead the Giants out of a tailspin of epic proportions that saw the franchise log a 22-54 record in the seasons following their last Super Bowl championship.

Unfortunately, it can be said that Gettleman's tenure came up way short of that goal, the team finishing 19-46 in his four-year stint, a tenure marked by some questionable personnel decisions in free agency and the draft, particularly with the offensive line, as well as some cap maneuvers that left the team in cap hell for 2022.

With new General Manager Joe Schoen well into his first free agency as head of the Giants, he has taken a far different approach to free agency compared to Gettleman's. The results of Schoen's moves still won't be known for months just yet, but there is much to like about the pitfalls he's avoided that seemed to lure Gettleman down the wrong path.

Avoid Spending A+ Money on B+ Free Agents

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Much can be said about Dave Gettleman and his time as the Giants’ General Manager, but nobody can say he was afraid to spend money.

Gettleman consistently opened up the checkbook for high-priced free agents, often to his detriment. In his first free agency as general manager, Gettleman gave OT Nate Solder a four-year deal worth over $60 million.

Gettleman continued this trend of paying top-of-the-market dollars for free agents throughout his tenure. He signed off on big-money deals to players like running back Jonathan Stewart, receiver Golden Tate, guard Patrick Omameh, linebacker Kareem Martin, and receiver Kenny Golladay.

Gettleman's biggest free-agent deal approved was a four-year, $62 million contract for Solder. He also approved a four-year, $37.5 million deal to Tate, and a four-year, $72 million deal for Golladay. This is an average of $58.6 million in money handed out to Gettleman’s top free agent each year in his four years.

While not all of his free-agent signings were disastrous--cornerback James Bradberry, linebacker Blake Martinez, and kicker Graham Gano were among those that worked out--in many cases, it can be argued that Gettleman overpaid.

Schoen has done the opposite, opting instead for cheaper, shorter-term deals with free agents that are of starter quality but not necessarily guys who are considered to be the sexy names.

Schoen's largest deal to a free agent this off-season was to guard Mark Glowinski, who got a 3-year, $18 million contract. Instead of adding one high-priced free agent, Schoen was able to add 12 new players to the roster, all on short-term deals (many of those Veteran Salary Benefit contracts) that won’t affect the long-term cap space.

Prioritizing Long-Term Cap Flexibility Over Short-Term Gains

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In the Gettleman era, not only did the Giants pay top-tier money to free agents, they also often restructured contracts to provide short-term cap relief.

The Giants in 2021 alone completed nine contract restructures with different players. The problem is it moved money into future years and hurt the cap situation down the line.

This is the problem Schoen is currently dealing with as he seeks to find cap room to operate. Because those players who had their contracts restructured are carrying higher cap figures, Schoen is looking at either having to restructure them again to find operating capital (what he called the "last resort") or, as is the case of cornerback James Bradberry (still a very good player), move them off the roster via trade.

Schoen has already restructured a few deals this off-season, including those belonging to linebacker Blake Martinez, receiver Sterling Shepard, kicker Graham Gano and, most recently, cornerback Adoree' Jackson.

Schoen has also released several veteran players such as running back Devontae Booker, tight end Kyle Rudolph, punter Riley Dixon, and safety Logan Ryan. By releasing these players, Schoen recognized the team is not in a win-now window and opted to take a short-term dead cap hit rather than stretching the money into the long-term cap.

This approach is vastly different from the approach to the cap the Giants took under Gettleman and should serve the franchise well in the future. 

Approach to Fixing the Offensive Line

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The Giants attempted to add players on the offensive line throughout Gettleman's tenure, only to come up short in their efforts.

Among the players Gettleman turned to included Nate Solder, who turned out to be past his prime; Patrick Omameh, who didn't even make it through his first season with the Giants; second-round draft pick Will Hernandez, who regressed every year; and Matt Peart, who due to injuries and a slow development couldn't beat out Solder for the starting right tackle job last year.

While Gettleman did find left tackle Andrew Thomas and put faith in undrafted free agent interior offensive lineman Nick Gates, the Giants offensive line continued to be a problem that was exacerbated due to injuries and retirements.

Schoen, with limited funds, made the offensive line a priority. He added multiple players with starting experience, including guard Mark Glowinski, who has been entrenched as a starter for numerous years on the Colts’ offensive line; guard Max Garcia, a Pro Bowl alternate for the Cardinals last season; center Jon Feliciano, who was with Brian Daboll last year in Buffalo; guard Jamil Douglas, and offensive tackle Matt Gono.

Schoen’s attempt to fill out the offensive line with capable (and affordable) starters should allow the Giants to field an offensive line that, once a right tackle is added, should be a lot more stabilized.

Reinforcing the Roster Depth

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The Giants have been one of the most injured teams in the last several years. Making matters worse is that when injuries struck, the Giants didn't always have the depth on the roster to plug the holes.

Take, for example, the 2021 offensive line. Between injuries and retirements, the Giants had no choice but to trade for additional depth.

And then there was the situation at quarterback, as after Daniel Jones went down with a season-ending neck injury, the dropoff between him and backups Mike Glennon and Jake Fromm was noticeable.

Like what the Bills did in the first off-season under Brandon Beane, the Giants and Joe Schoen prioritized quality depth, starting with him adding numerous starting-caliber linemen to the roster, again, at a reasonable price cost.

The signing of running back Matt Breida is a cheap option to back up Saquon Barkley that adds a player who can take on all of Barkley's responsibilities.

Quarterback Tyrod Taylor is a high-level backup who will provide insurance behind Daniel Jones, who has missed parts of the last three seasons due to injury.

Receiver Robert Foster is familiar with Brian Daboll from Buffalo and college (Alabama). Tight end Ricky Seals-Jones spent one year with offensive coordinator Mike Kafka in Kansas City, and he now gives the team a capable body at tight end. 

Richie James provides the Giants with a strong roster option for kick and punt returns. Defensive linemen Jihad Ward and Justin Ellis also provide depth pieces.

Overall, at least on paper, this seems like a much stronger Giants roster than in recent years. 

Final Thoughts

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Schoen has not made any flashy moves, certainly none that excite the fanbase. While it remains to be seen if the moves he did make pay dividends, if nothing else,Schoen seems to be approaching building the roster the right way.

He has had an eye toward devoting premium resources toward the draft rather than engaging in wild free agency spending sprees to make up for what's otherwise been a shaky history of drafting by this team over the last decade. 

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

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