00:05Welcome back to Blue Rush.
00:07The New York Giants, they continue to add to their roster as free agency rolls on,
00:10including a speedy new weapon for the offense and a familiar face returning to the secondary.
00:16Now, over the weekend, the Giants, they agreed to a one-year deal with wide receiver Darnell Mooney.
00:20That adds a vertical threat to an offense that's still taking shape,
00:23and they also brought back safety Jason Pinnock,
00:26a player who started a number of games for Big Blue in recent years
00:29and brings experience to a defense that continues to evolve.
00:32But as we know, sometimes the moves that don't make the biggest headlines
00:35can still play a key role in building out a roster.
00:38So to break down what these signings mean and how the Giants' offseason is shaping up so far,
00:43let's bring in New York Post NFL reporter Ryan Dunleavy, who joins me now.
00:47Ryan, how are you doing? How have you been surviving this NFL offseason so far?
00:53Good, yeah. I think I'm getting better, like some of the teams.
00:56All right. Hey, that's all we wanted this time of year.
00:59In March, I want you to be getting better teams.
01:01Hope that they're getting better, so we'll see that.
01:04Let's start with the Giants edition that I just talked about,
01:07adding wide receiver Darnell Mooney on a one-year deal.
01:10When you look at what he brings, the speed he's got, the deep ball ability,
01:13and a player who's had a near 1,000-yard season in his career,
01:16how do you see him fitting into this Giants offense alongside Malik Nabors and Darius Layton?
01:22Yeah, I think the theme of the Giants' free agency so far has been taking one-year deals with high
01:29upside.
01:30They did it at corner with Greg Newsome.
01:33Obviously, guard is a little bit different story, but no guaranteed money for Evan Neal, who's coming back.
01:39So Mooney kind of fits that picture, right?
01:41If he's at his best, he had a 1,000-yard season with the Bears and a 992-yard season
01:46with the Falcons two years ago.
01:48Then you're getting a big play threat, 13 yards per catch in his career,
01:54and maybe a number two receiver or at least a number two pass catcher, depending on how you look at
01:59tight end.
02:01So I think there's upside there.
02:04And then if you look at the rest of his career, I think he has three seasons under 500 yards.
02:09He's been dogged by some injuries like he was last year.
02:12So it's a low risk.
02:14If it doesn't work out, they move on next offseason.
02:17But look, this receiver core was paper thin after losing Wondale Robinson and with Jalen Ayatt giving you next to
02:26nothing.
02:26So they needed to make a top-end move.
02:28And Pencil and Mooney is either number two or number three right now.
02:32There you go.
02:32It seems like the Giants have at least number two or number three receiver here in Mooney.
02:36We'll see how he can do.
02:37The other move that stood out, Ryan, was bringing back safety Jason Pinnock on a one-year deal.
02:42This is a player who started a lot of games for the Giants during his first stint with the team.
02:46How important is that familiarity and experience in the secondary that's continuing to evolve right now?
02:52Yeah, see, here's one area where I think the Giants need to get better,
02:56and that is turning starters into backups.
02:59Like, they need to improve their talent base.
03:01It's what the Jets are doing right now.
03:03So I like what the Giants did here with Jason Pinnock.
03:06He's coming back to, obviously, a new defense, new system, new coaching staff.
03:11But he was a guy who started, I don't know, 28, 33, something like that games here over the two
03:17seasons before last.
03:19And now he's going to be a backup.
03:21Now he's on a minimum contract in a sub role.
03:25That shows you that the talent, at least at safety, one position, has gotten better to where a former starter
03:32is now a backup in a smaller role where you can use him as a blitzer and use him in
03:37kind of that Dane Belton ball hawk role since they lost Belton to the Jets.
03:41And we'll see what Pinnock can do.
03:42Always glad to see a fellow Pittsburgh Panther back in uniform here in the New York area.
03:47Now, a lot of these moves, whether it's Mooney, Pinnock, or some of the other depth signings, aren't necessarily the
03:53headline grabbers, Ryan, of free agency.
03:55But how important are these type of moves and signings when a team is trying to build depth and improve
03:59the overall roster?
04:01Yeah, the Giants need to get better.
04:03Like the roster is not good.
04:04The roster is top heavy.
04:05They have Brian Burns and Malik Neighbors and Dexter Lawrence and Andrew Thomas.
04:10And then the roster falls off a cliff.
04:13So, yes, they've got they're getting better.
04:16Like I said, they're doing it on a lot of one year deals.
04:19We didn't mention Calvin Austin, another receiver they brought in.
04:22Same kind of thing.
04:24Low risk, high reward guy, fast.
04:27He's five nine.
04:28He kind of is a less accomplished Wondale Robinson.
04:33Add some speed, return game.
04:36I think the Giants have gotten much better on special teams.
04:39They have a new punter, a new kicker.
04:41They're going to have a new long snapper.
04:43Special teams cost them a lot of games over the last couple of years.
04:46And as you know, that makes a big difference in one score games, which is what most of the NFL
04:50is.
04:50So that's an area they could improve.
04:52Overall, the roster is probably about equal in my mind to where it was at its height last year.
04:58I don't think they've gotten significantly better, but they've gotten significantly different and they have better coaching.
05:04So that should make a difference.
05:05All right.
05:05So when you take all of that, right, saying that they haven't got significantly better, but they've gotten significantly different.
05:11And you step back and look at the Giants offseason as a whole thus far.
05:14When you look at the free agent additions, the players they've retained, the areas they're still trying to address.
05:18What grade would you give the front office at this point?
05:21And what still needs to happen between now and the NFL draft next month?
05:26Yeah.
05:26Can I say incomplete?
05:28No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
05:30Then C.
05:31No incompletes.
05:32But you know what?
05:33I have to be fair.
05:34You know what?
05:35I have to allow for an incomplete.
05:37Usually I say no.
05:38But because you haven't finished offseason, there's no draft.
05:41I think incomplete is not unfair here.
05:44Incomplete or a C, which is like, you know.
05:46C, okay.
05:47Eh.
05:48Yeah.
05:49Like, to me, they still don't have good enough defensive tackles.
05:56They still don't have good enough corners.
05:59They still don't have a right guard.
06:01Those are three pretty big holes.
06:03I mean, if Greg Newsome hits, then you have your cornerback too.
06:07If he doesn't, what, are you going back to Deontay Banks?
06:09Right now, you don't have a right guard.
06:12Is it Marcus Bowe switching from tackle?
06:14Are we trying the Evan Neal experiment again?
06:16I think we know that's not going to work.
06:18They haven't re-signed Greg Van Roten.
06:20They're kind of in a stalemate with him and with Wyatt Teller.
06:24There's ways for them to get better.
06:26There's players out there for them to get better.
06:28They're kind of holding their ground right now.
06:30Wide receiver we just talked about.
06:32It's kind of like, okay, well, you lost 1,000-yard Wondale,
06:35so maybe you combine Mooney and Austin and you get 1,000 out of both of them.
06:41Like, I don't know.
06:42Like, to me, there's three or four spots on this team
06:45where they need better starters than they have right now,
06:47but that's why you have the draft.
06:49I was going to say, that's why you have the draft.
06:51So you got them at a C.
06:52Do you think they can get a better grade?
06:55I will say, I'm not going to go high.
06:57I'm not going to say an A.
06:57That's going from C to A is a lot.
06:59They're not getting an A.
07:00They're not getting an A.
07:01I didn't think so.
07:01I thought you were a pretty tough grader there, Ryan.
07:03I did not think so.
07:04But is there a way they can even get to a B
07:06if they really knock some things out of the park in the draft?
07:10Yeah, I think so.
07:11I think that's what I'm really interested to see.
07:12Look, there were salary cap constraints on the Giants.
07:17The draft, you don't have to worry about that.
07:19So I'm very interested to see if they do the Ravens thing.
07:22Like, do they trade back from 5 to 9 and pick up more picks?
07:26Do they trade back from 34 and pick up more picks?
07:29That's what the Ravens do.
07:30And then all of a sudden you have more quality players.
07:33Like, how do you fill four spots, the four spots I just named,
07:37with only, you know, a first, a second, and no third?
07:40Well, you fill one spot at five, and then you turn 33 into 45 and 61,
07:47and then both those guys are starters.
07:50And then all of a sudden you're starting to fill holes
07:54with young guys on cheap contracts, and you hope to develop them.
07:57That is the hope.
07:58We'll see what the Giants do, but they've made some major moves,
08:02some minor moves here in the offseason as they continue to move on.
08:05That is Ryan Dunleavy joining us here on Blue Rush.
08:08Ryan, I appreciate it, and we will see if by the time we reach the draft
08:12that the Giants can get that grade up.
08:14I'll have to check in with you then.
08:17Let's do it!
08:18Let's do it!
08:18Let's do it!
08:20Let's do it!
08:21Let's do it!
08:22Let's do it!
08:23Let's do it!
08:23Let's do it!
08:24Let's do it!
08:25Let's do it!
08:25Let's do it!
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