The Giants plugged some holes, and got a potentially difference-making cornerback
The quarterback question looms over everything for the New York Giants as we enter Day 2 of the NFL free agency negotiating window. GM Joe Schoen and the Giants, though, accomplished quite a bit on Day 1. Even if much of it wasn’t sexy.
My inbox, social media timelines and the comments here at Big Blue View have been filled with shots taken at the embattled GM because of the seemingly small nature of some of Monday’s moves. Everybody loves the splashy signings of the big-name players, but each move made on Monday could potentially help the 2025 Giants. We know not all of the moves will work out, but each makes sense.
Below, thoughts on each player who signed or agreed to terms with the Giants on Monday.
CB Paulson Adebo (three years, $54 million) — I love this signing. Adebo, who turns 26 this summer, is younger than the other top cornerbacks who were available. He is just entering his prime, which should give him a longer runway of success.
Adebo has something the Giants did not have in their secondary a year ago — ball skills. He has seven interceptions and 28 passes defended in 22 games over the past two seasons.
Despite suffering a season-ending injury in Week 7, Paulson Adebo allowed the 3rd-fewest EPA when targeted among all CBs during the 2024 season (-25.6).
Adebo recorded 10 passes defensed in Weeks 1-7, tied for the 3rd-most in the NFL.@Giants | #TogetherBlue https://t.co/djZiv7FJQV pic.twitter.com/8denB4RBiz
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) March 10, 2025
Adebo is coming off a broken femur that limited him to just seven games a season ago. That, though, doesn’t look like it’s going to be a problem:
Paulson Adebo broke his femur in October and is already doing this.
The new Giants corner played college ball at Stanford with Bobby Okereke and started 51 of the 52 games he played in with the Saints. pic.twitter.com/zgqsWARZhF
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) March 10, 2025
DT Roy Robertson-Harris (two years, $9M) — I hear all of the ‘this guy is just a depth piece’ comments/complaints. Well, guess what the Giants did not have on their defensive line a year ago? Competent veteran depth players who could take some heat off Dexter Lawrence and Rakeem Nunez-Roches. Robertson-Harris and Giants defensive line coach Andre Patterson were together a UTEP, so the Giants have intel on the player. The Giants still need more help on the interior defensive line, and could find it in the draft.
WR Darius Slayton (three years, $36M) — This one was a stunner. Slayton seemed like he had a foot out the door as far back as the end of the season. It is also an excellent move to bring him back. Had he gone elsewhere, the Giants would have had a WR2 hole to fill. Slayton is also an excellent locker room presence, the kind of core player and veteran leader teams need.
OT James Hudson III (two years, $12M) — If you look up Hudson’s Pro Football Focus grades, you won’t be impressed. He isn’t a great player. Backups generally aren’t. Still, he is something the Giants have not had the past two seasons — a real swing tackle. He has significant NFL playing experience at both tackle spots. Also, at 26 he isn’t a player who is just hanging on at the end of his career. Maybe there is still some upside there.
LB Chris Board (two years, up to $6M) — Board is a special teamer and backup linebacker. This might be an indication that the Giants chose him over retaining Ty Summers and Matthew Adams. Board was a special teams captain in Baltimore last season.
Surprised the Ravens weren’t more aggressive in trying to keep Board, who was voted the special teams captain last year. Board played team-leading 386 special teams snaps last year (Harrison was second with 336). Also contributed as reserve ILB, his role increasing as yr went on.
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) March 11, 2025
Edge Chauncey Golston (three years, $19.5M) — Golston is likely the replacement for Azeez Ojulari as the Giants’ third edge defender. It is likely not an accident that the Giants chose Golston. I checked his snaps played by position at Pro Football Focus, and Golston has significant experience at a variety of alignments along the defensive front.
Perhaps most importantly, this seems like a signing targeted to fit what defensive coordinator Shane Bowen likes to do. Golston has played more snaps as a LEO or REO than anywhere else. That is a position Bowen employed heavily with the Tennesee Titans, and the Giants did not have a player who was a natural fit for that role a season ago. Now, they do.
Besides, Golston has the Nick Falato stamp of approval:
2024 Chauncey Golston highlights vs. the pass and run.
The #Giants signed a high-energy, incredibly long (96th percentile wingspan) physical defender with power and some craftiness in his hands.
Coming off a career year, the 27-year-old is a good addition to the DL/EDGE room pic.twitter.com/cQY33u9lbr
— Nick Falato (@nickfalato) March 11, 2025
What about quarterback?
That question, of course, looms.
Indications have been that the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to end up with either Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson — probably Rodgers. That would take the player who seems to be the Giants’ primary target off the board.
Would the Giants pivot to Wilson? Maybe, if they want to spend the kind of money that would require. Would they try to trade for Kirk Cousins? Might they just go the low-coast route and sign someone like Jameis Winston, Carson Wentz or — gulp! — Joe Flacco?
Honestly, does it really matter? Whether it is Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough or someone else they believe has a chance to be their long-term answer at quarterback what really seems to matter is the young quarterback Schoen and Brian Daboll deem worthy of taking a chance on.
