The New York Giants are in an interesting place as we look ahead to training camp.
They have a roster that is young and has players in their prime entrenched at each of the cornerstone positions. The Giants also have the potential to boast youth and excellent depth throughout their roster — if they can get a few draft picks to fully pay off.
Every team says that they want to build through the draft, but that’s easier said than done. Not only does it mean properly developing draft picks into the type
of player you want to build your team with, but also keeping them in the building and not leaving via free agency.
This week we asked you which Giant in the last year of his rookie deal is most likely to get a second contract, and asked you to choose between edge defender Kayvon Thibodeaux, center John Michael Schmitz, and cornerback Deonte Banks.
The answer was pretty emphatic, with Schmitz dominating the results.
I was expecting Schmitz to take the poll, but I don’t think I was expecting him to run away with it like he did. It makes sense on a couple levels that Schmitz is considered the most likely to get a second contract. At the first level, the Giants want to keep building their offensive line and will likely need a new left guard next season. They don’t want to add a new center to the list of (potential) needs if they don’t have to do so.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart had a promising rookie campaign, but if the Giants want to exceed expectations (currently set at 3,050 passing yards, 19-20 passing touchdowns, 425 rushing yards, 4.5 rushing touchdowns, per FanDuel) he’ll need his offensive line to hold up. As the center, Schmitz is not only responsible for calling the protections, but he’ll be delivering double team blocks and likely working to the second level to help spring runs. Center might not be quite as important as offensive tackle, but it’s still a position teams need to get right.
At the same time, interior offensive line contracts are (by and large) more affordable than even average edge defender or cornerback contracts. That makes Schmitz more logical from a pure economics standpoint than either Thibodeaux or Banks.
That said, both Thibodeaux and Banks have higher athletic upside and play premium positions. We don’t know what Dennard Wilson is planning on the defensive side of the ball, and having an enviable complement of pass rushers could turn into a decisive strength for the Giants. Likewise, Banks has not only emerged as a very good kick returner, but has made (reportedly) had a strong spring in the new defense.
It’s possible that Schmitz doesn’t fit the Giants’ new blocking schemes the way the team hopes, while Thibodeaux or Banks (or both) prove their worth on the field. In that case, the factors that work in Schmitz’s favor also make finding a new center a bit easier than finding a starting caliber edge or press-man cornerback.
The Giants seem content to let things play out on the field, at least for the moment, but these three players all bear watching as we progress through camp, the preseason, and into the regular season.
