Looking at the NFC East so far in free agency and trades, the Eagles and Redskins have been fairly busy while Dallas has been unusually quiet.
But the team to look at and question what they are doing is the Giants. This is a team coming off a 3-13 season with a roster dotted with some aging veterans. And yet in free agency, the Giants seem to be doubling down on the ability for 37 year old qb Eli Manning and Co. to make a competitive comeback in 2018, which to me is a big mistake and misreading of where the division is going.
The Giants just signed 29 year old Nate Solder to the largest OL contract in the NFL to play LT. Here is a team that had literally no viable NFL starters on the OL at the close of the season. To take a guy this age and project out his guarantees you can see the Giants are going to be hurting in a couple of years. And what about those 4 other OL positions, with Westburg signing in SF?
Then NY goes out and signs 31 year old running back Jonathan Stewart to a 3 year deal. Really? A 31 year old back on a team that finished 3-13 and not 13-3? I could understand the Eagles signing Stewart as a complementary back for 2018 but the Giants?
Running backs are in the prime from ages 24-28. The thought of giving a guy this age starter's wages to me just a mistake.
Gettleman is fooling himself if he thinks building this way is going to yield consistent results.
The Eagles are light years ahead of the Giants even with these moves (and perhaps others to come). Dallas is better, Washington is better and both Dallas and Washington have better rosters 1-53.
New York is a fourth place club, third at best.
Given the fall to 3-13 in 2017, it was the perfect opportunity with the
#2 overall selection to rebuild the club from the ground up and take some lumps getting rid of some large contracts for veterans you really don't need to select and promote a new, younger core moving forward.
So far the Giants have my vote for worst offseason to date with a disconnect between Gettleman and the FO and the place of the Giants in the NFC East ending the 2017 season.