NY Giants' Free Agency Haul Lands in Surprising Place in League-wide WAR Metric

New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh did not need to overhaul the roster. The franchise's main objectives entering the offseason were to position quarterback Jaxson Dart for a second-year boom and fix the culture. The early results are auspicious.

Pro Football Focus seems to think so, too.

Key takeaways: Did Giants truly improve with free-agency moves?

The New York Giants’ free agency activity earned them a questionable rank in PFF’s WAR metric.
Head coach John Harbaugh has focused on culture and balance, bringing in familiar players and addressing overlooked needs across the roster.
With key holes still remaining, Harbaugh’s leadership is viewed as the biggest upgrade, potentially making the Giants better than their ranking suggests.

Mason Cameron used PFF's Win Above Replacement (WAR) metric to measure how much a team has improved. By accounting for all offseason moves a squad has made, including re-signing players, PFF can determine the value an organization has added to its roster.

New York's number is 0.69, putting it square in the middle of the NFL rankings. Positional value factors into the calculations, so teams that acquired a starting quarterback got a sizable boost in WAR.

Without signing a signal-caller, high-end wide receiver, or premier cornerback, the Giants still rank 16th in WAR added through the first wave of free agency. They are addressing needs that are too often overlooked.

Harbaugh reunited with a few of his former Baltimore Ravens players, including promising tight end Isaiah Likely, All-Pro punter Jordan Stout, and All-Pro fullback Patrick Ricard.

The front office also signed ball-hawking linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, scooped up former All-Pro kicker Jason Sanders, and brought back sturdy right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor.

While the roster is not complete, it is more balanced on paper. New York must still plug in the right guard slot, reinforce the defensive interior, and add a legitimate depth to the cornerback room, but the fifth overall pick in the NFL Draft ought to check off at least one of those boxes.

Have the Giants been underestimated?

Despite entering the offseason with limited salary cap space, New York managed to invest a significant amount of money over the last couple of weeks. Big Blue has committed $88.485 million in full guarantees to free agents, which is the 10th most in the NFL, per Over the Cap.

The Giants spent a great deal on offense, special teams, and run defense. Considering that those were some of the team's most glaring weaknesses, one might argue that their PFF WAR added should be even higher.

That is alright, though, because the individual who may make the biggest difference is actually on the sidelines, not on the field. This metric does not seem to measure the effect that John Harbaugh's arrival can have on the squad's performance.

It is hard to properly assess Big Blue's offseason without acknowledging the vital experience and notable accolades the Super Bowl 47 champion and six-time AFC North champion brings to the Giants.

New York was not a conventional last-place squad last year. It was poised to defeat the Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears, and Dallas Cowboys. Wins against the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions were also in reach, but poor coaching and a lack of discipline gave way to heartbreaking losses.

Harbaugh gets plenty of ridicule for how he handles late-game situations, but he is undoubtedly the best coach the Giants have had since Tom Coughlin. When combining his strong leadership presence with the incoming talent, this franchise could be much better by the opening kickoff.

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