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Grading the New York Giants’ Top 5 Free Agency Decisions in 2015

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Grading the New York Giants' Top 5 Free Agency Decisions in 2015

Jerry Reese New York Giants
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Over a week into free agency, the Giants have made numerous moves. Not all of them were headline-grabbing, but they will all have their relative impact on the team. Following is a list of the grades for the top five decisions that the Giants have made so far.

5. Grabbing Brett Jones from the CFL - B+

Brett Jones New York Giants
USA TODAY Sports

5. Grabbing Brett Jones from the CFL - B+

Brett Jones New York Giants
USA TODAY Sports

In their first move of the offseason, which technically occurred before free agency began, the Giants signed CFL-star Brett Jones. In 2013 he won the Most Outstanding Rookie Award, and in 2014 he won the Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award. For a team needing OL depth, adding the 315-pound 23-year-old is a great start.

4. Letting Antrel Rolle Walk - D

Antrel Rolle New York Giants
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

4. Letting Antrel Rolle Walk - D

Antrel Rolle New York Giants
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

The Giants didn’t really do much to bring Rolle back. He’s 32 years old, but he’s still a productive safety and was a team captain. It will be very difficult to replace his presence in the clubhouse if not on the field. The Giants still haven’t added another safety, and there aren’t too many elite players left on the market. If they had replaced him with a Devon McCourty or Rahim Moore, perhaps the letter grade might be a bit higher.

3. Signing Shane Vereen - A

Shane Vereen New England Patriots
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

3. Signing Shane Vereen - A

Shane Vereen New England Patriots
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Vereen is the exact type of player the Giants needed to bring in, and to bring in the 26-year-old back on a three-year deal is a great move by GM Jerry Reese. In 2014, Vereen had 52 receptions and yet all five Giants RBs only had 62 combined. In Ben McAdoo’s passing-oriented offense, Vereen should flourish as an additional option to Eli Manning.

2. Franchise Tagging Jason Pierre-Paul - B+

Jason Pierre-Paul New York Giants
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

2. Franchise Tagging Jason Pierre-Paul - B+

Jason Pierre-Paul New York Giants
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The best-case scenario was re-signing JPP long-term. However, tagging him was better than letting him walk. The pro is having JPP on a Giants team desperately needing pass-rushers; the con is that he counts for .8 million against the cap -- almost half of what the Giants were able to spend this offseason. If he replicates his 2014 season, he’ll be in for an even larger payday heading into 2016. Hopefully the Giants can lock him up.

1. Extending Tom Coughlin’s Contract - A

Tom Coughlin New York Giants
Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

1. Extending Tom Coughlin’s Contract - A

Tom Coughlin New York Giants
Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

It’s not a player move, but it was a move that occurred during free agency. Coughlin was heading into the final year of his contract, which the Giants don’t like to let their coaches do, and re-upped him for one more year. First and foremost, Coughlin is the best man for the job right now. And secondly, a coach in a lame duck situation tends to overthink himself, putting the team in a worse situation.

Matt Turner is a writer for RantSports. Like him on Facebook.
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