Giants Ranked Among Five Worst Rosters After Initial Free Agency Push in New Analysis

Despite orchestrating a bevy of moves in the initial wave of free agency to start uplifting the New York Giants roster for the 2025 season, general manager Joe Schoen isn’t getting as much outside love for his work as he might deserve.

To be fair, Schoen had a mounting task to start the offseason: He had to revamp a roster bogged down by injuries and youth this past season to make it more competitive and sustainable for the future.

His most important decision—who will be the franchise quarterback—is still to come and could have the heaviest bearing on his tenure.

The Giants have brought in Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston to be the veteran voices, but it remains to be seen if the team is holding onto hope that they can land one of the top two quarterback prospects with their No. 3 pick in the draft next month.

Beyond that waiting game for who comes next at the helm, Schoen and the Giants front office made the most of the first portion of the free agency push, signing a baker’s dozen players that can offer either starting caliber talent or experienced depth for both the offensive and defensive sides.

The problem is that outside of the walls of 1925 Giants Drive, his efforts aren’t considered enough to push New York up the NFL power rankings. In fact, the Giants were just named by Bleacher Report as one of the bottom five rosters in the league as the next phase in the draft looms.

NFL writer Moe Moton's analysis placed the Giants in fourth place on the rankings, ahead of the Panthers, Titans, and Patriots. Moton listed the gunslinger, guard, and interior defensive line positions as the glaring voids that still need to be addressed.

New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston — Dec 29, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston (5) claps as they take the field for warm-ups before the game against the Miami Dolphins at Huntington Bank Field. | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

Wilson, acquired after Moton's story dropped, and Winston are upgrades over Tommy DeVito, but neither should preclude Big Blue from taking a quarterback with the No. 3 pick in the upcoming draft, according to Moton who argues the Giants have some good young talent that needs to have a steady quarterback presence.

“The Giants saw immediate returns from wide receiver Malik Nabers and running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. in their first year as pros, but they will go only so far with one of the league's worst quarterback situations.”

Giants general manager Joe Schoen, who attended Miami prospect Cam Ward's pro day on Monday, said that the organization has to see how things fall out in the top three of the draft board before it is confident in landing a top arm. Getting Ward would be the dream scenario, but it feels more likely that the Titans will grab him off the board at No. 1.

Quarterback Russell Wilson (3) looks to pass in the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC wild card game at M&T Bank Stadium. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Regardless, neither Wilson nor Winston are the long-term solution for the Giants. Another player has to enter the fold who can give the Giants a real chance to win short- and long-term games.

Defensively, Schoen deserves some credit for how he has assembled the Giants’ unit in the past two offseasons. He started last year by trading for All-Pro edge rusher Brian Burns to pair with Kayvon Thibodeaux. Then he found arguably two high-value draft picks in slot corner Andru Phillips and safety Tyler Nubin, who both showed flashes in their rookie campaigns.

He added to that positive trend by signing ex-Saints corner Paulson Adebo and ex-Dolphins safety Jevon Holland to strengthen the secondary with starting options on the perimeter and high end.

Adebo might need to adjust to the zone-heavy scheme that defensive coordinator Shane Bowen likes to run. Still, he has been one of the better ball disruptors in the league and will help tremendously in shutting down one-on-one passing meltdowns.

Again, one must realize that the core of the team’s issues remains on the offensive side of the ball, as they’ve struggled to put up points to complement the grueling work of the defense.

That all starts up front where the Giants have yet to bolster their guard depth outside of resigning Greg Van Roten and have some unpredictable pieces on the offensive tackle depth chart, but also in who is slinging the pigskin to the capable weapons on the roster.

Ultimately, it’s not fair to call out the Giants’ offseason moves thus far as being awful or non-impactful.

he true tale of their success in 2025 and beyond will revolve around the answer they manage to find at the helm, which is still up for grabs despite the addition of Winston and Wilson as the first round of the draft is rapidly approaching.

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