The New York Giants have made multiple significant moves to bolster their ailing offense this offseason, including bringing on two free agent offensive linemen to protect quarterback Daniel Jones in his pivotal fourth year.
The biggest improvement to the O-line came from the signing of Mark Glowinski, who previously played for the Indianapolis Colts. The G-men signed the 6-foot 4-inch big man to a three year deal, worth $20 million — including $11.4 million guaranteed.
Glowinski, who was elected in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL draft by the Seattle Seahawks out of West Virginia University, and was later claimed off waivers by the Colts in 2017.
Following the signing, the Giants front office also announced the acquisition of guard Jon Feliciano, who previously played for the Buffalo Bills, until the team released him last week.
The 30-year-old also entered the league in the 2015 draft as a fourth round pick to the Oakland Raiders, before signing with Buffalo in 2019. Joining the Giants allows Feliciano to reunite with Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who was the Bills’ offensive coordinator from 2018 until heading to New York this offseason.
Meanwhile, the Giants also re-signed wide receiver C.J. Board, who the team first acquired in the 2020 offseason, and picked up fellow wideout Robert Foster, who also joins the team in free agency after a stint with the Bills and the Washington Football Team (now the Washington Commanders).
Neither pass-catcher marks a significant acquisition for the Giants, though the team surely hopes they will help mitigate the loss of tight end Evan Engram, who signed a one-year contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars after five years at MetLife Stadium.
Engram averaged 52 catches per season while wearing Giants blue, and offered significant help as a blocker. His new contract in Florida offers the tight end a fully-guaranteed $9 million, CBS Sports reported.
The Giants found themselves $6,698,353 over the cap limit heading into this offseason, which put them among the six franchises in the worst financial situation in the NFL — including the Green Bay Packers, the New Orleans Saints, the San Francisco 49ers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Los Angeles Rams.
Unlike those five other teams, the Giants managed to spend enough last season to reach that financial burden without fielding a team with a winning record — as the team was victorious in just 4 contests last year, and finished in last place in the NFC East.
Now, the team heads into a pivotal season for quarterback Daniel Jones, who enters his fourth season under center in New York, and could enter free agency next year if the Giants decline to pick up his contract’s fifth year option.
The 24-year-old came to the Giants as the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft, and has played decently enough to keep the starting job whenever he’s been healthy — but not well enough to avoid questions about his long-term status as the Giants answer at the position.
Last season, he played just 11 games due to a mid-season neck injury on Nov. 28, and finished the year with a 64.3% completion percentage, which compared unfavorably to the majority of starting passers. He has never played in every game for a full season, starting just 13, 14, and 11 games in his first three years.
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He boasts a forgettable 45-29 touchdown-to-interception ratio in his professional career, and has never led the team to a winning record.
Now, with a new head coach in Daboll, along with a first-year general manager in Joe Schoen, the team heads into the years with obvious questions about Jones’ long-term status with the team. It is unlikely that the front office will bring in another starting quarterback for the upcoming season, as their cap situation bars them from any marquee free agents, and this year’s draft lacks A-list talent under center.
That makes this season a highly important one for them to evaluate Jones, who will be looking for a new contract after the year.
The addition of Glowinski and Feliciano will help put Jones in a position to succeed, and ideally lower the 2.7 sacks-per-game that Jones has averaged throughout his young career.
The Giants can also add young talent through the draft, as the team possesses the 5th and 7th pick in this year’s first round, along with multiple picks in later rounds.
The Giants will play their first game of the 2022-23 season on Sept. 11, 2022.
