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The New York Giants had big questions to answer this NFL offseason, and they have made some cap space for themselves by coming to a long-term agreement with quarterback Daniel Jones, and they should be able to clear some more space with other moves. That opens the door to adding a difference-maker at one of their biggest positions of need.
The Giants franchise tagged Saquon Barkley as a result of the Jones contract, so the two biggest Giants free agents are back on the team. The team is still trying to work out a long-term deal with Barkley, and if that happens, more cap space could open up. Leonard Williams could also be a candidate for a contract restructure to open up more room.
Simply put, the Giants will have some money to spend on NFL free agents if they choose to do so. With the holes they have on their roster, they absolutely should spend to plug some of those holes.
Their most notable holes for the Giants are wide receiver, cornerback and linebacker. Based NFL free agents set to become available, linebacker is likely the best position to target, and a familiar face for general manager Joe Schoen should be one of the top targets.
Free agent who can fill Giants biggest need: Tremaine Edmunds
If you have not followed the Giants closely, you would probably think that wide receiver is a bigger need than linebacker. They are pretty much equal, and the linebacker free agent class is so much better than the wide receiver free agent class. Tremaine Edmunds would be a great fit for the Giants defense. He is a middle linebacker, which is what the Giants specifically need. Joe Schoen was in the Buffalo Bills front office when the they drafted Edmunds with the 16th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Head coach Brian Daboll worked on the offensive side of the ball, but he too is familiar with Tremaine Edmunds from his time with the Bills.
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The Giants ranked 28th in the league in rushing yards allowed per game in 2022 with 146.3. With teams like the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles in their division, the Giants will need to strengthen their run defense significantly. Part of that will be adding some depth on the defensive line to help out Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams, but the linebacker group was weak last season. It was pieced together with players like Jaylon Smith, Tae Crowder and Micah McFadden. That was a recipe for disaster last season, especially in the divisional round playoff game against the Eagles
The Eagles rushed for 268 yards in that game. The Giants had no answers for the Eagles running game, and Jalen Hurts is not going anywhere. They will need to do better against the dangerous Eagles running game to have hopes of contending with them in the future.
That is where Edmunds comes in, he had 102 tackles last season, with 66 of them being solo tackles, according to Pro Football Reference. He is also rated well in coverage. He would have an immense impact on the Giants defense under Wink Martindale, who calls an aggressive style of defense that needs good linebackers.
Edmunds would also be a potential long-term piece for the Giants, as he is going into his age 25 season. The Giants made the playoffs in 2022, but it is still a long-term build for the team. Edmonds would be a valuable piece that fits in with the team's timeline.
