The Giants need to do a lot of work this offseason to improve on last season’s 4-12 record. The front office should focus on these five needs first.
Eli Manning’s retirement is currently dominating the news cycle for the Giants, but that’s not going to last much longer. Soon, the fan base’s interest will appropriately turn to how Dave Gettleman and his front office can improve the team during this pivotal offseason.
The roster isn’t bereft of talent, but last year’s 4-12 record wasn’t an accident. The roster has a lot of key weaknesses that need to be addressed. Unfortunately for Giants fans, it’s going to be difficult to check every box in one offseason.
The important thing for the Giants will be to take a solid step forward before first year head coach Joe Judge presides over his first regular season game next year. This list will give you the top five needs New York needs to address before the 2020 regular season kicks off.
5. A backup quarterback
The Giants fervently believe that Daniel Jones will be their franchise quarterback for years to come. At the very least, he’s going to be their starter for the foreseeable future. Even so, the team does have an open spot to fill in their quarterback room.
Manning’s retirement opens up the backup competition in the Big Apple. Alex Tanney isn’t terrible, but he lacks any sort of meaningful upside. The Giants would be smart to bring in a more established backup to help provide depth behind Jones.
Fortunately, the price in free agency for that kind of player is pretty minimal. The Giants might even be able to coax a free agent like Marcus Mariota to take a short-term deal in New York to rehabilitate their value. Backup quarterback isn’t something Gettleman should spend big time resources on, but an upgrade over Tanney is definitely called for.