What A Terrible Sad News: New York Giants QB Set On Free….

The New York Giants have questions on their offensive line at right tackle and both guard spots as we enter the 2024 roster-building season of free agency and the NFL Draft. Could the Giants take a big free agent swing at a talented, versatile player who could potentially slide into any of those roles.

Mike Onwenu, a 2020 sixth-round pick by the New England Patriots, has extensive NFL experience at right tackle and at both guard spots.

Most likely, if the Giants made a play for the 6-foot-3, 350-pound 26-year-old it would be as a right tackle with the intent of moving Evan Neal inside. The Giants could, though, play Onwenu initially inside and slide him to right tackle if Neal again comes up short in an effort to prove he can play that position in the NFL.

Onwenu is Pro Football Focus’s 25th-ranked free agent, and the top-ranked true right tackle. PFF estimates a four-year, $58 million contract ($14.5 million annually) with $33.25 million guaranteed for Onwenu.Onwenu had been shuffled around endlessly throughout his rookie contract but returned to right tackle in Week 7 of 2023, the position he seems most comfortable playing as a solid pass protector and a strong gap scheme blocker with good footwork to combo block at the line and get to the second level fairly well. Onwenu is not the quickest player off the line, given his massive frame, but he has the strength to wall off backside pursuit defenders in the run game with a solid base and heavy hands when called upon.

The Athletic ranks Onwenu as its No. 53 free agent, with former NFL GM Randy Mueller expressing a preference for Onwenu as a guard.Onwenu probably fits best at guard, but he’s been the Patriots’ most natural-footed athlete and best option at tackle. He lacks ideal length, but he plays with a good base and technique, allowing him to have very good position on contact and the ability to sustain with his balance and recovery. He has more than 1,300 career snaps at both right tackle and right guard, along with 386 snaps at left guard.

The Giants have questions not only about Neal as a tackle, but at guard as well. Justin Pugh, Ben Bredeson and Shane Lemieux are free agents. Mark Glowinski is expected to be cut. Josh Ezeudu and Marcus McKethan remain unproven.

Is Onwenu a player you would like to see GM Joe Schoen pursue in free agency, Giants fans?

The New York Giants have a lot of work to do this offseason. Right now, the Giants are facing an identity crisis and hold the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. New York has a lot of holes on their roster to fill. So, should they move down in the NFL Draft to address more of these issues? Let’s break this down.

The New York Giants have a couple of notable free agents heading into this offseason. One of them is safety Xavier McKinney. His rookie dealing is coming to an end, and it seems like he wants to be paid what he is worth on his next contract. However, one rumor suggests the New York Giants may try a unique tag strategy on McKinney.

According to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, the New York Giants may have a unique tag strategy heading into this offseason. Rather than placing the franchise tag on McKinney, the Giants may decide to use a transition tag on McKinney instead.

For those of you not familiar with this tag, it gives McKinney more options to get paid. With the transition tag, the Giants have the right to match any offer that McKinney gets from other teams. In return, McKinney is allowed to continue negotiating with other teams to try to find a better contract in the open market.

So, how is this different than the traditional franchise tag? With the franchise tag, McKinney would have to take the offer that the Giants give him. However, there is a good reason why the Giants may want to avoid this.

Using the transition tag on McKinney rather than the franchise tag would save the Giants a decent amount of money. Considering that New York is projected to have less than $30 million in cap space next season, any amount of money the Giants can save here will help them. So, how much money can the Giants save by doing this?

Schwartz says the Giants would have to pay McKinney $16.2 million if they placed the franchise tag on him. However, it would only cost New York $13.9 million to use the transition tag on McKinney.

Xavier McKinney is considered a core piece of the Giants’ defense. Last season, he had three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Best of all, McKinney is still only 24 years old.

The only catch with using any kind of tag on McKinney is that RB Saquon Barkley would hit the open market. However, considering that the franchise tag on Barkley would cost the Giants over $12 million, they are unlikely to pursue this option. For now, we will have to wait and see if this rumor comes to life.