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The New York Giants have been in the news lately regarding roster decisions, most notably cutting veterans from their roster in an effort to clear up cap space. This was thought to be an effort to throw a ton of money at top wide receivers Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz, but their first major signing of the off-season was actually left tackle Will Beatty, who they signed to a five-year, $38.5 million deal with $19 million in guarantees.
This is a good move for the Giants as Beatty finally proved to be the top-tier caliber tackle they envisioned when they drafted him in the second round in 2009. According to Pro Football Focus, he rated +22.9 in 2012, which should have earned him a lot more Pro Bowl consideration.
As poor as the offensive line looked at times this past season, it’s hard to fault Beatty for those mistakes.
General manager Jerry Reese has been reluctant to use high draft picks on offensive lineman during his tenure. Beatty certainly took a while to come along, but with this deal, it ensures he’ll be around for at least a couple more seasons protecting Eli Manning‘s blind side.
Now the task turns to finding ways to keep Nicks and Cruz happy while also improving on areas of concern from last season. The Giants released Ahmad Bradshaw and several key defensive starters from last year’s team. It remains to be seen what Reese’s plans are for replacing these veterans, but I imagine they’ll look mostly in house.
Both the offense and defense struggled at times last season, so changes being made should come as no surprise. The Giants are perennial contenders year in and year out, which starts with an active front office that knows what it’s doing.
Reese is one of the premier general managers in the business, and the Beatty signing is another indication of that.
Jeff Shull is an NFL writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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