Giants Opinion: GM Joe Schoen’s True Tenure Starts Now

It’s tempting, and even technically correct, to say the New York Giants’ new general manager Joe Schoen has had a successful start to his tenure with Big Blue. After all, in their first season under Schoen’s watch, the Giants’ surpassed expectations and actually won a playoff game. Even after an unceremonious shallacking in the divional round at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles, New York’s season should be seen as a step in the right direction.

But how much credit does Schoen actually deserve for Big Blue’s successful 2022 campaign? The former Buffalo Bills assistant general manager spent most of last offseason desperately slashing player salaries just to comply with the NFL’s salary cap and field a team. In the process, he excised quality veterans such as James Bradberry, Logan Ryan, and Blake Martinez. If former general manager Dave Gettleman were still in charge, he likely would’ve signed extensions, restructured contracts, and done whatever necessary to retain those players under the cap. Schoen, wanting to eventually enact his own vision for the team rather than merely manage his predecessor’s, opted to move on from those pricey veterans and get their contracts off the books as soon as possible. So while Schoen’s cost-cutting measures were understandable, they inarguably made the the Giants’ roster worse, not better, in 2022.

Flimsy Free Agency

Of course, Schoen did more last offseason than curb spending. He used what little cap room he had to sign cheap free agents like guard Mark Glowinski, center Jon Feliciano, and receiver Richie James. With such limited resources, the impact of Schoen’s maiden free-agent class was always going to be marginal in either direction. But he didn’t maximize even the dollars at his disposal. Glowinski disappointed for most of the season, and Feliciano should arguably have been benched once the offensive line got healthier. James pleasantly surprised given his meager track record, but he was far from great. Again, it’s hard to judge Schoen’s free-agent class too harshly given his shoestring budget, but it wasn’t exactly impressive.

Then there was the NFL Draft, the main event for any general manager’s offseason. If Schoen had to play poor during free agency, he must’ve felt like a king for the draft. Thanks to the prior year’s draft-day trade with the Chicago Bears executed by Gettleman, and multiple trades by Schoen himself, he was able to make a whopping eleven picks. Judging a draft class after one year is always foolish, but the early returns are middling at best.

Dull Draft

Top-ten picks Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal were up-and-down, with Neal especially struggling as a rookie right tackle. Contributions from the rest of the class were few and far between. Second-round receiver Wan’Dale Robinson started just three games before tearing his ACL in Week 11. Fourth-round tight end Daniel Bellinger started eleven games, producing modestly as a receiver while contributing well as a blocker. The rest of the class did very little as rookies. Third-round picks Joshua Ezeudu and Cordale Flott can still develop into starters, and there are day-three guys that should push for more snaps next year. But overall, there’s nothing about this draft class that suggests it will be better than average.

The best thing Schoen did last offseason was hire head coach Brian Daboll. The work of Daboll and his staff was inarguably the biggest factor in Big Blue’s surprising success. Schoen deserves credit for identifying him as the right man for the job. But the fact that Schoen did hire Daboll certainly wasn’t surprising. When the Giants hired Schoen as the GM in first place, it was almost tacitly understood that he and Daboll were essentially a package deal, given they worked together with the Buffalo Bills. So yes, give Schoen his kudos for getting it right at head coach. But it’s not like he conducted an exhaustive search to do so.

Schoen’s Time to Shine

Schoen’s tenure as the Giants’ general manager started with a note of optimism. But he’s yet to really put his stamp on this team. With plenty of breathing room under the salary cap and eleven draft picks, he’ll have ample opportunity to begin to build this team to his liking. Major decisions on potential new contracts for inherited stars Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones have to be made, and extensions for important players like Dexter Lawrence and Julian Love could be in the offing as well. Schoen needs to decide which parts of this roster are worth keeping, and which are replaceable.

Schoen’s hands may have been tied last offseason, but now they’re free to sculpt this team as he sees fit. We know Daboll gets the most out his rosters. Now let’s see if Schoen can construct a roster that will get the most out of him.

– Ryan Cuneo is the Managing Editor of Full Press Giants. He covers the New York Giants. Like and follow on Follow @ryan_cuneo Follow @FullPressGiants and Facebook.