Giants Day-One Free Agency Grades

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen sounded like a teenager with a new part-time job just before free agency. “We’re not shopping for minimum players anymore,” Schoen told members of the media last Tuesday. After being constrained by the salary cap last offseason, Schoen has some spending money in his pocket to go out and improve Big Blue’s roster this free-agency period. He burned through some of that money yesterday, the first day of the NFL’s legal negotiation period, by adding some outside talent and re-signing a couple of the Giants’ own free agents.

Let’s grade each of the Giants’ signings on day one of free agency.

The Big Fish: LB Bobby Okereke – Four Years, $40 Million

New York’s biggest need coming into this offseason was off-ball linebacker. The deepest position in this year’s free-agency pool was off-ball linebacker. It only made sense that the Giants would sign one of the many available linebackers to address their biggest need. As first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Big Blue agreed to terms with Okereke, who registered 151 combined tackled for the Indianapolis Colts last season.

It's four years for $40 million with $22 million guaranteed for Bobby Okereke, source confirms.

So this will be among Giants' biggest additions. Comes at a position of need.

Next up: Wide receiver.

— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) March 13, 2023

Okereke is a fast, aggressive linebacker who tackles with violent intentions. The Stanford product improved each season of his career, and at 26-years old should be in his early prime. He’s a very good run defender with the athletic profile to grow in pass coverage. At $10 million per year, this deal isn’t a bargain, but it’s not a huge overpay, either. Overall, Schoen did well to secure a very good starter at a position of dire need.

Grade: B+

The Depth Signing: DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches – Three Years, $12 Million

The Giants’ roster wasn’t particularly deep at any position, but a lack of depth along the defensive line hurts you more than perhaps anywhere else. So it wasn’t surprising to see Schoen address Big Blue’s defensive line depth with his first move of the day. As first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Giants will sign the veteran Nunez-Roches to help their run defense and spell starters Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams. The 29-year old started 10 games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season, getting 33 total tackles. He won’t be much of a pass rusher, but he’s a good run defender who’ll be reliable in the rotation. At $4 million per year, it’s hard to argue with this one.

Grade: B-

The Re-Signing: RB Matt Breida – One Year, $2.3 Million

Breida spent last season as Saquon Barkley‘s primary backup. He only got 54 carries for 220 yards, but he also caught 20 passes for 118 yards and proved to be a pretty valuable motion player in offensive coordinator Mike Kafka’s more creative play designs. The Georgia Southern product’s speed and versatility make him an easy fit in this offense, even if his role remains limited. The Giants could’ve saved money and instead dipped into a deep draft class of running backs, but Breida’s deal is palatable.

Grade: C+

– 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.