The New York Giants narrowly missed the postseason in 2020. Despite finishing with an uninspiring 6-10 record, the Giants ended the year one game behind the NFC East champion Washington Football Team.

While the G-Men failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fourth straight year, the franchise took a step forward under first-year head coach Joe Judge. After years of defensive ineptitude, the unit finished 12th across the NFL in total defense. Furthermore, the Giants ranked 9th in scoring defense—just one year removed from ranking 30th in the league.

As the Giants look to build upon their momentum from this season, they will need to make some shrewd moves in the 2021 offseason. Focusing on the upcoming free agency period, let’s look at three ideal targets for the New York Giants to pursue on the open market this offseason.

1. Corey Davis

The Tennessee Titans declined to pick up the fifth-year option on Corey Davis before the start of last season, rendering him a free agent in 2021. The former fifth overall selection of the 2017 NFL Draft, Davis finally lived up to his potential.

Davis logged career highs in 2020 for receiving yards (984), touchdowns (five) and 100-yard games (five). He achieved these totals, despite playing in an offense that featured All-Pro running back Derrick Henry and Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Brown.

The Titans will eventually need to extend Brown, who just completed his second season in the pros and already is performing like a top-5 receiver. This makes it unlikely the Titans will break the bank for Davis, who underperformed the first three years of his career.

However, if last season is any indication, Davis is capable of being a team’s No. 1 receiving option. The Giants are in desperate need of reinforcements at wideout. They lack a game-changing player at the position. Darius Slayton, Sterling Shepard, and Golden Tate mustered a grand total of seven touchdown catches combined in 2020.

Davis is capable of making the difficult catch, which could prove crucial—should the New York Giant sign him—with the risk-taking, gun-slinging Daniel Jones under center for New York. Davis holds the second-best contested catch rate in the league over the past two seasons.

There are other big names on the receiver market—Allen Robinson, Kenny Golladay and Chris Godwin to name a few—but Davis will come at a cheaper cost than the aforementioned stars. The Giants rank 22nd in the NFL in salary cap space entering free agency, and while that is subject to change if they release some of their underperforming talent and/or overpaid players, the club would be better off handing sizable money to Davis and exploring other avenues of free agency—rather than splashing on just one high-priced receiver.

In terms of his value, Sportac approximates that Davis should garner a contract of $39.4 million over four seasons. The New York Giants can certainly afford to hand Davis a contract with an annual average salary of $9.8 million.

2. William Jackson III

Giants cornerback James Bradberry is among the best shutdown cornerbacks in football. Named to his first Pro Bowl in 2020, he proved to be worth every penny of the three-year, $45 million the Giants forked over to him last offseason.

Bradberry set career-highs in passes defended with 18—the second most in the NFL—and forced fumbles (2). Pro Football Focus (PFF) graded him as the 7th best cornerback in football and placed him on the PFF’s Second Team All-Pro. The Giants need another capable starting cornerback to start on the opposite side of Bradberry. Opposing teams (wisely) targeted New York’s other corners often and with too much success.

Sticking with the theme of signing former first-round picks, the Giants could pursue William Jackson III in free agency. Jackson III was selected 24th overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2016 NFL Draft. After missing his entire rookie season with a torn pectoral muscle, Jackson III has suited up in 59 out of a possible 64 games for the Bengals the past four seasons.

Jackson III held opposing quarterbacks to an 86.4 passer rating when targeting him and earned a 71.4 coverage grade from PFF in 2020. The six-foot, 196-pounder is lengthy, athletic and a strong defender in man coverage.

According to Sportac, Jackson III’s market value stands at $6.3 annually and $18.9 million total across three years. For a starting cornerback of his caliber, that price is way too cheap. Jackson III is well within the Giants’ price range.

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3. Haason Reddick

The New York Giants need an upgrade at edge rusher. Not one New York edge defender notched more than 20 total pressures this season.

Needing to augment talent at edge rush, could the Giants look at Hasson Reddick? After four years with the Arizona Cardinals, Reddick is an unrestricted free agent and fresh off a career year. According to PFF, Reddick had 56 total pressures in 2020.

Reddick led the Cardinals with 12.5 sacks and 20 tackles for loss. He ranked first among NFL edge defenders with six forced fumbles.

The best game of his season actually came against the Giants in Week 15. He accumulated five sacks and forced three fumbles in one of the top performances by any defensive player on the season.

Reddick, 26, would bolster the Giants’ pass rush, a top priority for the club this offseason. A dominant edge presence like Reddick would enhance the Giants’ defense, which appears on the rise after a strong 2020 campaign.