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New York Giants Mailbag: "Roster Building" Edition

Let's check in with the readers this week to see what's on their minds.
Patricia Traina|
New York Giants Mailbag: "Roster Building" Edition
New York Giants Mailbag: "Roster Building" Edition

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New York Giants

If you'd like to submit a question for the mailbag, please use this link to avoid having your question land in spam. You may also post your questions on X (formerly known as Twitter) to @Patricia_Traina, hashtag #askPTrain. Please note that letters may be edited for clarity/length.

Tony, it was explained to me that a passing game coordinator (offense or defense) is responsible for formulating that part of the plan. So let's take Jerome Henderson, the defensive passing game coordinator. 

Instead of being told by the defensive coordinator how the cornerbacks should play so that Henderson can teach them accordingly, that decision now lies with Henderson--do they play a shadow corner, eight yards deep off a specific receiver, etc.? 

As for the assistant head coach title, he helps the head coach with certain duties in-game and during the week. My guess is that if the plan is to add a young quarterback, Brian Daboll will want to be heavily involved in getting that kid ready to play. 

As such, he may have to off-load some of his duties, so he's appointed Mike Kafka to handle some of those, and my guess is those duties will be primarily gameday-centric.  

I think you're asking about inquiring about a trade. The way it would work is the general manager or his designated rep would call the other team's GM or designated rep to see if there was an interest in a trade. And why Hendon Hooker? Why not save the draft assets and see if you can't get a quarterback by the second round of the draft?

Mike, I've said this before and will say it again. I believe the Giants will let Jones start the season (if healthy) and see how things go. If they draft a quarterback in the first or second round, that kid will sit until he's ready to play. 

If Jones does well, then maybe you see if you can trade him the following year. If not, you cut him and then turn the reins over to the rookie. In this scenario, while I believe Daboll's seat is much warmer this year, I don't think he is out if the team struggles again unless he loses the locker room.

The only one I'd consider bringing back is Ben Brdeson for depth and, once he's healthy, Tyree Phillips. As for which linemen I'd like to see brought in, I've been beating the drum for a while now for Patriots guard/tackle Mike Owenu. I don't know if he's going to hit the market, but if he does, that would be where I'd make a big splash in spending. 

That's a hard one, Ed because I can take care of addressing positions in both the draft and free agency. That said, I think the Giants go draft for their No. 1 receiver, as I would be shocked if a quarterback falls to them at six. I also think they will add defensive line talent via the draft. The rest of the positions could go either draft or free agency. 

(From Joe G. -- edited for clarity) They can't afford to draft a QB high with so many holes to fill. Drafting a player to sit while the team still loses and holes are not filled, both HC & GM could and perhaps should lose their jobs. If a QB is available at 6, it would be smart to ATTEMPT to trade down slightly to get an extra high pick. Drafting QBs high should be done by teams that don't have a good QB. We have a good one if they just give him time to throw. Sign a vet backup QB and draft to fix our holes.

Joe, you can disagree all you want, but Daniel Jones is one more neck injury away from potentially ending his career. Do you want to see the Giants risk a scenario like what the Jets had last year? Come on now. Joe Schoen has said they will address the position, and he didn't rule out the draft as an option.

I still believe the Giants will draft a receiver in the first round. I could also see them trading back into the bottom of the first round by moving one of their two second-round picks.

And as for your statement about drafting a player to sit, the Giants did it with Eli Manning. The Packers did it with Jordan Love. The Chiefs did it with Patrick Mahomes. Did those coaches and GMs lose their jobs? Would you rather throw a rookie into the fire while you wait and hope the offensive line is fixed, or do you have your new WR1 on board? That's not really how it's done anymore.

(From Tony S.) Why have you completely ignored the most outstanding need, the OL? The Giants desperately need a guard and perhaps another tackle if Evan Neal continues to underperform. This is why Jones continues getting hurt, and Barkley struggles to gain yards.

Tony, I haven't "completely" ignored the o-line. I've been saying for quite some time now that they will go the free-agent route to add depth. I said it again in this column. To you, the o-line might be the "most outstanding need" in the draft. To me, I think getting a WR1 is the biggest need.

(From Ken B.) I looked at the Thuney contract on Spotrac, and it showed a first-year cap hit of four million and a second-year hit of eight million. Is this even possible for a $70 million deal?

Sure it is. You get the lower cap figure if you convert a large chunk of one's base salary into a signing bonus. The drawback is you're kicking the can down the road, but that's why Thuney had such low cap figures the first two years of that deal. 

George, this is just my theory, but I often wondered if the jump he had to take from college to the pros was bigger than anyone wanted to admit and if they were just bringing him along like any other rookie.

The following was in response to our article on Eli Manning being a potential first-ballot Hall of Famer.

(From Randy M.) Eli is more deserving of a first-round pick into the Hall of Fame than the previous giant quarterback (Phil Simms), who won an MVP. Eli threw some tough passes in his two times when over the New England Patriots, and the last one, they were going for an undefeated season, and he still beat them; he had a little bit of luck on his side, but half of football is luck and getting the right calls.

Randy, unfortunately, the Hall of Fame voting committee (of which I'm not part, by the way, though I hope to have a member on the Locked On Giants podcast about this topic) doesn't take into consideration "lucky throws" or tough passes completed when determining if a quarterback is Hall of Fame worthy. 

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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