The New York Giants continue to put in work through the first week of NFL free agency. The latest example is signing former Tennessee Titans first-round pick, cornerback Adoree Jackson.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal is for a whopping $39 million over the next three years. That’s a pretty darn good payday for a player who was just released by the Titans after missing all but three games during the 2020 NFL season due to a knee injury.
Jackson, 25, was an original top-20 pick of the Titans back in 2017. In 46 career games (41 starts), he’s recorded 200 tackles, 33 passes defended and two interceptions.
However, the advanced stats tell us a story of someone who could be a tremendous fit with the New York Giants. According to Pro Football Focus, Jackson ranks fourth among boundary corners in coverage since the start of the 2018 season.
If he can come back healthy, the USC product should be able to help a New York Giants pass defense that yielded 22 touchdowns against 11 interceptions a season ago.
This move comes after New York added former Pro Bowlers in tight end Kyle Rudolph and wide receiver Kenny Golladay, earlier in free agency. It’s also not going to be the end of the Giants’ spending spree under general manager David Gettleman. Below, we look at two more free agents this team should target.
Giants should sign guard Trai Turner
The Giants’ decision to release Kevin Zeitler earlier this offseason was a necessity considering his 2021 NFL salary-cap hit. Unfortunately for the Giants, it leaves a hole along the interior of their offensive line. Will Hernandez and Kyle Murphy are now the presumptive starters.
That’s not a great scenario for turnover-prone young quarterback Daniel Jones. In particular, Hernandez has struggled at guard after the Giants made him a second-round pick back in 2018. He also missed time to injury this past season and was removed from the starting lineup.
A surprise release of the Los Angeles Chargers earlier in the offseason, Turner would make a ton of sense for the Giants. The five-time Pro Bowler could slide in to the right side of the line with the hope that Hernandez either improves at left guard or Murphy takes over as the starter.
Without knowing the breakdown of Jackson’s contract with the Giants, Big Blue currently finds itself roughly $2 million under the cap. Nevertheless, there’s an expectation that veterans such as cornerback James Bradberry, left tackle Nate Solder and wide receiver Sterling Shepard will restructure their contracts. That would save the Giants a ton against the cap.
Giants should sign Aldon Smith
The Giants would love to see former third-round pick Lorenzo Carter morph into a starting-caliber weakside linebacker while providing a consistent pass rush. Through the Georgia product's first three NFL seasons, that just has not been the case.
Carter missed 11 games to injury last season and has all of 9.5 sacks in 35 career games. While Smith is your more traditional edge pass rusher, he could step in on obvious passing downs to provide the Giants with something extra out on the edge.
It would also likely be a low-cost move. The former Pro Bowler returned to the mix this past season with the Dallas Cowboys after missing the past four years due to suspensions stemming from numerous off-field issues.
He responded by putting up 14 quarterback hits and five sacks while keeping his life in order off the field. He could be a nice cost-effective option for the Giants in NFL free agency.
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