On the surface, the New York Giants’ left tackle Will Beatty had an outstanding year protecting quarterback Eli Manning’s blindside. That’s why there should be no question regarding whether or not the former second-round pick gets a nice long-term contract from the G-Men, right?
Salary cap problems aside, locking Beatty down with a big deal should not be such a lock for the Giants.
In four years, the tackle has spent substantial time battling various injuries. His seasons were cut short in 2010 and 2011; and in training camp this past season, he was sidelined by a sciatic nerve problem. Fortunately, he was healthy enough to start the final 15 games at both the right and left positions. But this latest injury could be hazardous to his future in the NFL.
In 2012, Beatty performed well. He allowed just two sacks and zero hits on Manning, which places him within the top 10 in this statistic among all left tackles (h/t to Pro Football Focus). His pass blocking efficiency was 11th overall at 96.3. However, he did allow 22 hurries — 31st out of the 76 left tackles ranked. That number becomes increasingly alarming when considering that, while he did allow just those two sacks, the Giants led the NFL with only 20 sacks allowed.
No one who watched New York this season is going to mistake these statistics as proper representations of the offensive line’s play in 2012… the unit was sub-par and inconsistent at times. Manning has outstanding pocket presence and, much like older brother Peyton, a knack for avoiding the sack despite his underwhelming mobility.
As a result, the hurries Beatty allowed – as opposed to the sacks – say a lot about the 27-year-old’s play this past season. He may not have surrendered a ton of sacks, but his inability to hold his blocks placed Manning under a ton of pressure and contributed to the Giants quarterback’s 15 interceptions and 59.9 completion percentage.
Factor in his injury history and it could be risky to give Beatty a big-time deal following only one full, productive season.
The Giants’ best option would be to re-sign him to a short-term contract as the starting left tackle in 2013 and leave the hefty raise for after he’s performed well again. Popular speculation seems to be that he will demand a top-10 contract for his position and frankly, there’s not enough on his resume to warrant such a big payday. The franchise tag would be an option, but Giants’ owner John Mara has already stated the team will “probably not” use it.
Does this mean the Giants should not sign Beatty? Certainly not. There may be cheaper options on the free-agent market that could step in and play as well as the four-year veteran. But it’s doubtful they will have the same upside.
Re-signing the former Huskie should be on the Giants’ to-do list. With more time, he has the potential to be one of the top pass protectors in the league. But this should not be an absolute certainty at the amount of money he is expected to want.
Using the franchise tag may not be the Giants’ style. Since its inception in 1993, New York has used it just three times. But it still may be worth considering in order to secure Beatty’s place on the roster in 2013. Making this designation would pay him a decent sum — an estimated $9.66 million is typical for offensive linemen — while giving New York another year to clear up cap space and gain assurance that he is worthy of a long-term contract.
Louis Musto is a contributor to the Sports Journey Broadcast Network. You can follow him on Twitter @LouisMusto.