New York Giants Free Agency Day 1 Takeaways

In retrospect, New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen has been very forthcoming with his intentions regarding building the team's roster.

The second-year general manager pointed to the run defense, which finished 27th (144.2 yards/game allowed) in the regular season, as an area to beef up in the off-season. With the team's first two outside signings, he appears to have added interior defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches and inside linebacker Bobby Okereke to the mix.

He also spoke about wanting to retain talent from last year's 9-7-1 playoff team, and he did that as well, thus far re-signing seven players who were on last year's team.

There is still much more work to be done--receiver continues to be a glaring need, as does the interior offensive line, among others. But things are just getting started as Schoen looks to boost the Giants production to the next level.

Here are some other takeaways.

Common Ground

If there is a common ground among the two new players--Rakeem Nunez-Roches and Bobby Okereke--added to the team besides the fact they play on the defensive side of the ball and are both versatile enough to be moved to various positions by a creative defensive coordinator, it's that both have also been durable over their respective careers.

The last time Nunez-Roches missed a game in his career was in 2018 when he only appeared in three contests. It helps that he's also never appeared in more than 49 percent of the defensive snaps in any given season, so there is no reason to think that will change now that he's coming to the Giants. His presence should help lower the ridiculously high workload that Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams have had to carry for two seasons.

Lawrence, only 25 years old, played in 82 percent of the team's defensive snaps last season--a ridiculous amount for an interior defensive lineman. Things got to be too much that by season's end, the coaches gave him a day off during the practice week so he could be as fresh as possible come game day.

Williams, who battled injuries all year, played in 75 percent of the defensive snaps--again, a ridiculously high amount.

Schoen, in potentially looking to extend the careers of both Lawrence and Williams, recognized the importance of upgrading the defensive line's depth so that when Williams and Lawrence have to come off the field for a breather, there is no drop-off as there was last season and, arguably, the year before that.

Nunez-Roches is one piece of the puzzle. A healthy D.J. Davidson should be another, or the Giants could even look to add more depth in the draft, as even with Nunez-Roches, depth still needs to be added.

As for Okereke, he's only missed two games in his NFL career--this despite his playing 98 and 85 percent of the defensive snaps the last two seasons. Over those two seasons, Okereke recorded 283 tackles.

If a team is going to spend on a free agent, they might as well spend on guys who have been productive and durable. That's exactly what Schoen did on the first day of free agency.

Gates Departs

When news broke about offensive lineman Nick Gates departing for Washington, the first thought that popped into my head was that he was returning to the scene of his gruesome broken leg injury suffered in 2021.

But that just underscores one of many qualities the Giants are losing. Gates has never been afraid of anything when it comes to football, so for those questioning why he'd want to return to the scene of the crime, that's why.

That said, the feeling was that Gates, who came close to being cut without even getting the chance to return to the field, wouldn't be back with the Giants. When he returned from multiple surgeries and months of rehab from that injury, Gates's goal was to prove to himself that he could still play. And once he did that, he set his sights on proving to his coaches and the rest of the league that he could still play.

So when did it become apparent that Gates wouldn't be back? Despite all the work he put in, he could never wrestle away the starting left guard role or the starting center role. The reasons are known only to the coaches, but Gates, being the competitor he is, wanted to start, and if such a starting role came at center, his preferred position, it would be even better.

So now he heads to Washington, where he just might get that chance. And by the way, if anyone thinks he might have a soft spot for his old teammates if they try to pull any funny stuff when the Commanders and Giants meet for their annual two-game series, think again.

Sterling Shepard

I know a lot of people were surprised that the Giants decided to bring back receiver Sterling Shepard on a one-year, veteran minimum deal.

The move itself isn't surprising. Shepard has been so valuable inside the facility with his positive attitude, his willingness to help the coaches however he could, and his availability to his teammates. That was recognized by head coach Brian Daboll and Schoen, who took a liking to him and wanted to keep his energy around the facility.

The only surprising thing in this storyline is the timing of the signing. Shepard is still quite the distance from passing a physical, and it's probably safe to say there wouldn't be a market for him right now. Even if there was a market, he, as an unrestricted free agent, could have declined offers.

The point is that the Giants now have a roster spot devoted to a player who may or may not be ready for training camp or the start of the season, for that matter. And while Shepard has been grinding at his rehab daily--he told me before the end of the season he was ahead of schedule--until he gets the green light to get out there on the field is another story and leaves one less roster spot available for a healthier player at a position that right now is in desperate need of depth.

Matt Breida's Return

I was pleasantly surprised that the Giants decided to bring back running back Matt Breida on a one-year deal, mainly because with the draft class is so deep in running backs this year, I figured they might roll with Gary Brightwell and Jashuan Corbin as backups to Saquon Barkley.

Breida was one of the most underrated players on the team last year, if for no other reason than his hard-nosed running style. He led the Giants running backs in yards after contact average (2.89). Fifteen of his 61 rushing attempts resulted in first-downs (24.5 percent). And his 84 percent reception rate on pass targets also led the Giants running backs.

Simply put, Breida, while not flashy nor the owner of any highlight reel plays, produced when called up, which at the end of the day, is what helped the Giants to their surprising finish last season.

More Details on Daniel Jones's Contract

SI.com's Albert Breer had the details on how the big deal between the Giants and quarterback Daniel Jones went down and had some additional details about the incentives that were included in the deal.

Jones can collect $1 million in incentives if he finishes in the top 15 in passing yards, passing touchdowns, total yards, and total touchdowns. These "not likely to be earned incentives" --named as such because Jones didn't achieve them in 2022, would mean his base salary in 2024 would also increase by $1 million.

And if Jones doesn't reach those incentives, the numbers for 2024 will remain the same. But there is confidence among the organization that with an upgrade in talent, Jones will indeed hit those numbers. With the salary cap expected to continue rising, $1 million will seem like a drop in the bucket if the quarterback position flourishes.

Get the latest breaking news and analysis on the New York Giants
Follow and like us on Facebook
Submit your questions for our mailbag
Check out the Giants Country YouTube Channel.
Subscribe and like the LockedOn Giants YouTube Channel
Sign up for our FREE message board forums
Get your Giants tickets from SI Tickets!