New York Giants Mailbag: Pondering the Future Edition

If you'd like to submit a question for the New York Giants On SI weekly mailbag, please use the link below or post your questions on X (formerly known as Twitter) to @Patricia_Traina, hashtag #askPTrain. Please note that letters may be edited for clarity/length.
If Brandon brown gets hired with the raiders do you think the giants promote from within or look for an outside candidate
— Tim (@NYGTIM) January 16, 2025
Thanks for the question, Tim. Truth be told, I’m not sure what they would do. The quick and easy thing to do is to restructure the decision-makers, which I guess is the same as saying to promote from within.
But then again, do they really need an assistant general manager? I suspect Schoen hired an assistant and an executive advisor (the since-departed Ryan Cowden) because he was a relatively new general manager.
Who knows? Maybe as he progresses in this role, he scales down the number of people around him. Based on what we saw last year on Hard Knocks, I always thought there were too many cooks in the kitchen. So we’ll have to see if that’s what happened.
The offensive line wasn’t a strength last year, but it certainly wasn’t as bad as it has been. What do you think they need to do this off-season to further solidify it?
— Kris Kauffeld (@dublk52) January 16, 2025
What’s good, Kris? The top thing the Giants need to do with the offensive line is add young talent to the cupboard.
Right now, the swing tackle spot is still a question mark, and while they have two starters in Andrew Thomas and Jermaine Eluemunor, the depth behind them is shaky.
Plus, Eluemunor is entering his contract's final year, so I think they’d want to get a young prospect in here that Carmen Bricillo can get ready.
The Giants need a kicker and having watched Ben Sauls on the Pitt Panthers, he should be a late round pick. Kicking in Heinz Field(still call it that), he is long and accurate in one of the toughest places for the Pros. Pitt players translate to the NFL.
— R. T. Leff (@arturofox3) January 16, 2025
R.T., I’m not sure we can definitively say the Giants need a kicker. I also don’t think given their other needs, that I would spend a draft pick on a kicker. If Ben Sauts goes undrafted, maybe they give him a look if they think he’s an upgrade over Jude McAtamney, but I would be surprised if the Giants draft a kicker.
#askPTrain. Pat, with the firings this week on the defensive side of the ball, could we see a change in philosophy? More aggressive, add size, for the Dline allowing our OLB to attack? 2nd question will we see a flip in the offense? Will Dabol allow someone else’s philosophy?
— Bill Frantz (@feihc53) January 16, 2025
Bill, the Giants fired two position coaches, Jerome Henderson and Michael Treier. I’m not sure how that translates to a change in philosophy.
If they fired Shane Bowen, that would make sense regarding a philosophy change, but not for two position coaches. If anything, I think the goal is to allow Bowen more of a say in who he wants on his staff and to find someone who is a little better at coaching zone coverage.
That being said, I’d like to see Bowen better adapt his scheme to his talent. I don’t think he did as solid of a job with that last year.
Put aside the QB need for the #nygiants for a second…What are the next highest needs in order? #askptrain With so many glaring needs if Ward and Sanders don’t have the top grades why wouldn’t you cash in that #3 chip to pick up a high echelon WR2, CB1-2, OLine, DLine depth?
— Konapup (@Konapup1) January 13, 2025
Konapup, the Giants have to add cornerback help and defensive line help. I think those would be the top two positions I’d target outside of quarterback. The question is, do they target a veteran cornerback, which is what I would do to add a little leadership back there or do they go with a youngster? I think on the defensive line they go with youth–there seems to be a lot of talent at that position.
I also agree with you that receiver is a sneaky need, and I’d even throw in safety if Jason Pinnock leaves in free agency, which I believe he will. So yeah, there are a lot of needs on this team.
I agree about turning Evan Neal into a guard. In your opinion, is the other OL priority to get a swing tackle or should the Giants look at a starting RT? #askPTrain
— Mark Wysolmierski (@MWysol) January 17, 2025
Mark, I think you get a swing tackle with the idea of grooming him for right tackle if after the coming season the Giants and Jermaine Eluemunor go their separate ways.
You have deep knowledge and history with this team. Can you put in perspective this era and the feeling of unending struggle with eras from the past?
— sjones71 (@sjones71) January 17, 2025
S. Jones, interesting question. I was young during the tail end of the “15 Years of Lousy Football” but what I remember about that is that things were so bad with the franchise, it extended to ownership.
When ownership can’t see eye-to-eye, then how are you supposed to get anything done? So based on that, I still say the late 1960s into the 1970s was a far worse era for Giants football.
I don’t get the sense that the current ownership is on the outs with one another, and I also get the sense that everyone is on the same page–whether it’s the right page is another story, and I think that is a result of some decisions they’ve made being the wrong ones.
I’ve also long believed that there are too many cooks in the kitchen giving input into decisions, but I can understand why Joe Schoen would want it that way.
Why should I even care about this team anymore
— . (@GiantNYGFan) January 17, 2025
You do you, as the saying goes, but as I see it, there's nowhere to go but up for this team. And I'm looking forward to the eventual new era at quarterback
Another for you Patty: do you think mason Graham is the best pick if Giants are not sold on sanders (assuming cam and hunter is taken)? I like the idea of vet corner in FA personally and pairing graham with dex. That's best draft for Giants imo
— BG (@BG713NYG) January 17, 2025
BG, I would be on board if they added Mason Graham. I’ve said numerous times that this team had to get more stout in the trenches, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, and I think a pairing of Graham and Dexter Lawrence II is very intriguing.
Huge fan Patty. Do you have any concerns of Abdul Carter saying he would love to go to eagles? Nervous about idea of another Penn state kid (saquon) preferring the eagles. Not blaming saquon but would hate something like this happening again
— BG (@BG713NYG) January 17, 2025
BG, these kids can say whatever they want; it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. I don’t put much stock in that.