ESPN Projects This Free Agent Signing for Giants

ESPN is out with its list of the top 50 pending NFL free agents, including projecting where their best fit is. And they have one name on their list earmarked to the Giants that definitely makes a lot of sense.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Matt Bowen are out with their list of the NFL’s Top 50 Free Agents (subscription required). While none of the Giants' current free-agents-to-be made the list, Fowler and Bowen did identify their 28th ranked best free agent as someone that might make for a good fit in what new Giants head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen are looking to build.

G James Daniels, Bears

Fowler and Bowen acknowledge that the Giants “need several new pieces along the offensive line.” They opined that Chicago Bears interior offensive lineman James Daniels would be an ideal fit for the zone run scheme that Brian Daboll liked to run in Buffalo, and “would instantly upgrade the Giants' mobility in the interior.” 

What We Say

The Giants offensive line not only is looking at needing four potential new starters, but it can use some developmental depth as well. But let’s stick with the starters as this has as much to do with quarterback Daniel Jones as anything.

Right now, the Giants, by their own admission, don’t know what they have in Jones, who is entering his fourth NFL season. That’s because, again, by their own admission, the Giants haven’t done right by the young man in terms of putting a strong surrounding cast around him, particularly an offensive line.

There is little doubt that the Giants won’t use some of their premium draft picks—we’re talking at least one of their first-rounders—to add a key piece to a unit that right now only boasts left tackle Andrew Thomas as its only returning starter.

Revealing Where Daniel Jones Ranked on NFL.com's Year-end Starting Quarterback List / Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports

Todd McShay’s Interesting First-Round Options for the Giants Revealed

Andrew Thomas Reportedly Had Surgery on Left Ankle / Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Giants Finish in Undesirable Spot in MMQB's Final 2021 Season NFL Power Rankings / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Post-Super Bowl First Round Mock Draft / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Former Giant Kicker Lawrence Tynes Wants More of This Quality in Saquon Barkley's Game :: Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

What We Can Potentially Expect from Mike Kafka's Impact on Giants Offense / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

What We Might Expect from Don "Wink" Martindale's Defense? / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll's Staff a Good Mix of "Old and New" :: Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

While some might want to see as many draft picks devoted to the offensive line as possible, realistically speaking, the likely plan is to find a mix of youth and veterans for the unit.

That brings us to Daniels, who may or may not be in the plans of the new Bears' regime (general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus). Daniels ranked 16th among Pro Football Focus’s top 56 guards who played in a minimum of 50 percent of their offense’s snaps. 

The 6-foot-3, 305-pound Daniels, the Bears’ second-round pick in 2018, turns 25 on September 13 and has plenty of experience playing all three interior offensive line positions.

Daniels, who played his college ball at Iowa, could be desirable by the Giants as they wait to see where Nick Gates and Shane Lemieux, two starting offensive linemen last year who saw their respective seasons end early because of injuries, are in their respective rehabs. 

Daniels, who dealt with a pectoral tear in 2020, has an average 97.6 pass-block efficiency rating per Pro Football Focus, which also has him down for 89 pressures allowed over his four-year career.

In improving the offensive line, the Giants' brass can get a better idea of what they have in their quarterback. They can also likely get a better idea of whether running back Saquon Barkley is truly worth making a Giant for life.

Final Thoughts

The Giants currently don’t have money to spend in free agency, which starts March 14 when teams are allowed to commence negotiations with the agents of free agents on other teams. 

But that doesn’t mean that they won’t be looking to clear out some cap space so that they can begin adding to what they ultimately identify as the core of this football team.

They will need to do so via the draft and free agency. If Spotrac's market value projection for Daniels (four years, $29,452,812, an average per year of $7,363,203) aligns with what the versatile offensive lineman is looking for, that amount just might fit into the Giants' budget if they are successful in clearing away upwards of $40 million on their cap. 

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