A series of somewhat startling maneuvers have brought the New York Giants’ future to the forefront. In less than 24 hours, the G-Men cut ties with three key players from their Super Bowl run last season in order to clear both cap space and room on the roster.
Linebacker Michael Boley, running back Ahmad Bradshaw and defensive lineman Chris Canty were all released by the team, freeing up roughly $14 million in cap space.
Fortunately for their fans, this is not a complete overhaul. A year removed from conquering the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI, the Giants are making necessary moves to ensure they’ll be back in the big game sometime very soon.
All three of the players released are on the downside of their career. Though Bradshaw is coming off one of his better years in a Big Blue uniform, all three teammates were hampered by injuries this season. With hefty contracts to their names, they became easily expendable for a Giants team that needs the money to better their future.
New York is never a big player in the free-agent market. The cap space will likely be used to get receivers Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz signed to long-term contracts and re-sign starting left tackle Will Beatty. They’ll need to sign draft picks and perhaps one key available free agent if they so choose and can afford to. The Giants have not made big splashes in recent years but have added a starter during the past three offseasons (safety Antrel Rolle in 2010, center David Baas in 2011 and tight end Martellus Bennett in 2012).
Many have speculated the Giants aren’t finished making moves yet. Offensive tackle David Diehl and cornerback Corey Webster are popular — and plausible — considerations. Both men are playing on contracts that greatly exceed the production they are providing on the gridiron and, like the three released in the last two days, could be expendable due to the money they’re due in 2013 (Webster is slated to make $7.25 million, Diehl $4.475 million).
Though both positions are those at which the Giants could afford to have depth, they really cannot afford to keep Diehl and Webster in the twilight of their careers. At the very least, it’s possible the Giants could approach them with an offer to restructure their deals to free up more cap space.
Meanwhile, those potential moves and the ones already made put the Giants in a tough spot. Can running backs David Wilson and Andre Brown fill the void left behind by Bradshaw? And can guys like linebacker Jacquian Williams, D-tackles Rocky Bernard and Marvin Austin; cornerback Jayron Hosley and O-tackle James Brewer step up and be the serviceable players the Giants need them to be? What do the Giants do about oft-injured and undependable cornerback Terrell Thomas and how does his place with the team affect Webster’s?
All these questions and more will need to be answered by the franchise, but there is still a lot of time left; the NFL’s offseason has only just begun. There is no way to know in which direction the Giants may be headed, but with two Super Bowl victories in the last six seasons, it’s safe to trust that they know what they’re doing.
Louis Musto is a contributor to the Sports Journey Broadcast Network. You can follow him on Twitter @LouisMusto.