With offseason workouts and minicamps in the rearview mirror and training camps just a few weeks away, we assess the New York Giants' offseason moves and assign a letter grade in the video above.
Best move: The Giants overspent to get the players they wanted, especially in the cases of guys such as special-teamer Dwayne Harris (5 years, $17.5 million, $7.1M guaranteed) and linebacker J.T. Thomas (3 years, $10 million, $4.5M guaranteed). But one free-agent contract likely to be worth the money is the three-year, $12.35 million ($4.75M guaranteed) they gave to running back Shane Vereen. A strong receiver out of the backfield and a very good pass protector, Vereen gives the Giants a valuable weapon they'll use liberally on third downs and maybe more than expected if they need the pass-blocking help. As quarterback Eli Manning and offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo look for "easy completions," Vereen can collect those with the potential to do big things after the catch.
Riskiest move: Drafting OT Ereck Flowers with the No. 9 overall pick. At the time, I had no issue with this pick, and I still have no issue with the logic the Giants used to make it. They needed a tackle, and they believed in the upside of this particular player as an eventual NFL left tackle and thought he could help right away on the right side while he developed. But all of that was before starting left tackle Will Beatty went down with a pectoral muscle injury. Beatty is out until at least November, and Flowers has been inserted at left tackle during the offseason practices to replace him. This situation lends some credibility to the idea that the Giants would have been better off taking a more NFL-ready tackle than Flowers at No. 9, as obviously starting him at left tackle before he's ready is a risky move on many levels. Of course, you're not supposed to draft with only one year in mind, and the Giants know that. But if Flowers isn't ready, being forced to play such a key role so early could hurt his development.
Counting on a coach: The Giants fired defensive coordinator Perry Fewell after the season and replaced him with a face from their past -- Steve Spagnuolo, who had a very successful run as their defensive coordinator in 2007-08 before moving on to failed stints as Rams head coach and Saints defensive coordinator. Spagnuolo was not sought for a coordinator job by any other team the past two offseasons, and he's certainly not a forward-thinking choice the way the young McAdoo was a year ago when they switched offensive coordinators. But the Giants are clearly hoping that dipping into their successful defensive past can help jump-start an undermanned defense that might need to get by on pride and emotion for much of the season.
Training camp outlook: The Giants will enter camp with major question marks at defensive tackle, defensive end, linebacker, nickel corner and both safety positions -- not to mention left and right tackle on offense. They hope defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who sat out OTAs and minicamp after being designated their franchise player, can hit the ground running in Spagnuolo's defense. They hope Odell Beckham Jr. can get over his springtime hamstring issues more quickly than he did a year ago. And they hope Victor Cruz can recover from his 2014 knee injury in time to start the season. A lot still has to come together for this team in August -- in a lot of spots.