The New York Giants have several areas of need on both sides of the ball, but none may be bigger than the push to fix a porous secondary from 2015.
There wasn’t a lot to brag about when it came to the defense of the New York Giants this past season, especially when it came to stopping opposing quarterbacks.
While the cornerbacks played well in spots (Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was named to the Pro Bowl), the safety position was in flux all year and opposing teams shredded them through the air. The G-Men were dead last in passing defense last year, giving up almost 300 yards a game. They need a veteran leader who has great instincts for a ball in the air that can tackle as well.
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Enter Eric Weddle, a veteran play maker formerly of the San Diego Chargers.
Weddle has the perfect mix of experience, durability and play-making ability that the Giants sorely missed from the safety position last season. When Antrel Rolle left in free agency for Chicago the Giants failed to replace him with a quality player, first opting to go young via a combination of young players and then bargain free agents when those young players ended up on I.R.
Both decisions proved fatal for the secondary, and it is time for New York to spend some of their big cap money on a quality player at safety.
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While rookie Landon Collins showed promise, he also demonstrated he is better in the box as a run stopping strong safety, as he struggled mightily in coverage. Going forward, Weddle could provide the skills needed to cover tight ends and running backs at free safety, allowing Collins to flourish in Spagnuolo’s system as a blitzer or getting to runners in the back field.
Weddle is arguably past his prime years in the NFL, but still has a lot in the tank at 30. He has never played less than 13 games in any season since he came into the league in 2007, and played in all 16 games in six of his nine NFL seasons. He has not sniffed a realistic chance at a championship, and has vocally expressed his desire repeatedly to make a ring his priority.
The Giants, with an established offense, can give him a shot at one. New York has shown the ability over the last decade to bounce back quickly after a playoff-less campaign and make a run at the Super Bowl.
A 3-4 year deal with competitive numbers would be a win-win for both the Giants and Weddle. It would give him and other vets like Eli Manning a few more chances at a Lombardi trophy ala the Broncos over the last few years.
While Weddle will garner some attention from several other NFL teams that might be more appealing to him based on their current team structure and scheme, the Giants need to convince him he is the missing key to a defensive turnaround in New York. Along with some other pass rushing playmakers, the Giants can go from missing the playoffs to dominating the NFC East quickly, as no other dominant team resides in that division currently.
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Weddle makes sense in a lot of ways for the Giants; Whether they agree and are willing to pay enough to entice him will be an interesting thing to watch for over the next few weeks.