Free Agency Primer: Giants Aiming To Improve Offense
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Giants finished the 2013 regular season 7-9 and missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons.
Clearly, some changes are in order.
And general manager Jerry Reese will seriously begin retooling his roster when the free agency period begins on Tuesday at 4 p.m. He will reportedly have around $24 million to work with after offensive lineman Chris Snee restructured his contract on Monday, freeing up an additional $5 million-$6 million.
What does Reese need to address, above all? The offense. Last season, the Giants finished 28th in the NFL in total yards and 28th in points.
More than anything, quarterback Eli Manning needs to revert to the Eli of old, but he also needs better protection.
Tom Coughlin is back as head coach, but Big Blue's offense will likely have a new approach in 2014 with Ben McAdoo taking over for Kevin Gilbride as offensive coordinator.
Wide receiver Hakeem Nicks is an unrestricted free agent, and he's likely to sign with another team after five years with the G-Men.
So who are the Giants eyeing on the open market?
According to the New York Post, the Giants are interested in tight end Andrew Quarless, who played under McAdoo in Green Bay. The 25-year-old Brooklyn native appeared in all 16 games for the Packers in 2013, catching 32 passes for 312 yards and two touchdowns.
As far as tight ends go, New York also has interest in Brandon Pettigrew, according to the New York Daily News. The 29-year-old has been with the Lions since 2009 and was a first-round pick out of Oklahoma State. Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 264 pounds, Pettigrew caught 41 passes for 416 yards and two scores for Detroit in 14 games last season.
According to NJ.com, Reese is also considering making runs at center Brian de la Puente and cornerback Alterraun Verner, although Verner could very well end up being out of the Big Blue's price range. NFL.com reported that defensive end Arthur Jones is also on the team's radar.
New York's unrestricted free agents include linebackers Jon Beason and Keith Rivers; defensive end Justin Tuck; guard Kevin Boothe; quarterback Curtis Painter; running backs Peyton Hillis, Da'Rel Scott and Andre Brown; tight ends Bear Pascoe and Brandon Myers; placekicker Josh Brown; receivers Nicks and Louis Murphy; defensive tackles Linval Joseph, Mike Patterson and Shaun Rogers; cornerbacks Terrell Thomas, Corey Webster, Aaron Ross and Trumaine McBride; and safeties Stevie Brown and Ryan Mundy.
The restricted free agents are center Jim Cordle, linebacker Spencer Paysinger and fullback Henry Hynoski.
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