Giants' Early Report Card for Most Impactful Offseason Decisions

The New York Giants are looking to rebound from a disastrous 2023 campaign that saw Daniel Jones suffer a torn ACL, the defense collapse and New York limp to a 6-11 record.

The Giants also failed to extend star running back Saquon Barkley, who left for the rival Philadelphia Eagles at the onset of free agency.

Of course, the Giants haven't just sat idly by while the rest of the division got better. New York made the decision to retain head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen, and the pair have been hard at work improving the roster this offseason.

With the first full week of free agency in the rear view, let's dive into some of New York's most impactful decisions of 2024 thus far. We'll examine the biggest moves here and provide grades based on factors like risk, potential upside and cost.

Parting with defensive coordinator Don Martindale wasn't exclusively a team decision—at least, not publicly. According to the team, the two parties mutually decided to end their relationship.

It certainly seems as if a change had to be made.

"What is apparent is that Martindale and the Giants are done after two seasons, with clear and present signs that Martindale and head coach Brian Daboll endured through a deteriorating relationship that could no longer continue," Paul Schwartz of the New York Post wrote in January.

The Giants did make the decision to bring in Shane Bowen, which wasn't exactly the most inspiring of moves. Bowen has just three years of coordinator experience and was released along with head coach Mike Vrabel during the Tennessee Titans' recent coaching purge.

Bowen's 2021 defense ranked 12th overall, but that ranking fell to 23rd in 2022 and was 18th in 2023.

That's not to suggest that Bowen was a poor choice, especially in an offseason with multiple coordinator jobs available, but going to Bowen from Martindale feels very much like a lateral move.

Grade: C+

The biggest ongoing mystery in New York is whether the Giants will move on from Jones and target a new quarterback in April's draft. New York owns the sixth overall pick and could target a draft prospect like Michigan's J.J. McCarthy.

According to SNY's Connor Hughes, McCarthy is a player the Giants want" in the first round.

Regardless of what New York decides to do, it needs quarterback depth, given Jones' recovery. Adding quarterback Drew Lock will help in that regard. And if the Giants do draft a quarterback, Lock could help serve as a mentor in the locker room—a role Jones may not be too keen on filling.

New York also signed running back Devin Singletary after losing Barkley in free agency. Singletary hasn't developed into a high-end starter in the NFL, but he fared well down the stretch for the Houston Texans last season.

Singletary averaged 4.2 yards per carry and finished with 1,091 scrimmage yards.

The 2024 draft class isn't overly impressive at the running back position, and there's definitely no guarantee that New York can land a starter there. Adding Singletary early in free agency was a very logical decision.

Grade: B

The blockbuster of New York's offseason occurred when the Giants traded for Carolina Panthers pass-rusher Brian Burns.

Burns is coming off of an eight-sack season and tallied 20.5 sacks over the past two seasons. He was given the franchise tag by Carolina, but the Panthers ended up dealing him for a relative bargain.

Acquiring Burns only cost New York second- and fifth-round picks. That's a bargain price for a borderline elite sack artist, though Burns' ensuing contract was not. After adding the 25-year-old, the Giants signed him to a five-year, $141 million contract. Burns is not the second-highest-paid edge-defender in the NFL behind Nick Bosa in terms of annual salary.

To be perfectly honest, that's an overpay for Burns. He has tremendous ability and upside, but he can be a liability against the run and has just one year of double-digit-sack production.

That said, Burns will be a great addition to a defensive front that also features Dexter Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Given the relatively low cost of acquiring Burns, this was a pretty big win for the Giants.

Grade: A-

*Contract information via Spotrac.