For all the moves the New York Giants have made during the first week of free agency, Pro Football Network, in its newest power rankings poll, believes the Giants have gained little to no traction ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.
PFN ranked the Giants No. 30, just ahead of the Tennessee Titans (31st) and the Cleveland Browns (32nd).
Why did the Giants place so low? The short answer is that as of the time the rankings were released, the Giants still have not landed a veteran bridge quarterback.
"Malik Nabers gives them a true playmaker, but without a clear plan at quarterback, it may not matter," the analysis said.
Another reason for the low ranking was the offensive line. Despite having re-signed guard Greg Van Roten and added two potential swing tackles in James Hudson III and Stone Forsythe, it didn't seem to matter in the final analysis, as PFN noted that "no team allowed more pressure in Daniel Jones' tenure than New York."
PFN also disagrees with Giants general manager Joe Schoen's past claim that the team is much closer to being competitive than some people believe, noting that the NFC East is loaded with talent among the Giants' three divisional opponents.
There is no denying that the Giants' quarterback situation is still very much a concern. The team only has Tommy DeVito, who was re-signed to a one-year deal, under contract, and it's believed the team plans to add another quarterback in the draft next month.
But the biggest missing piece is the veteran bridge quarterback who will be the team's opening-day starter and how that guy is not yet on the roster.
The Giants have reportedly met with Aaron Rodgers, who continues to leave the Giants and Steelers hanging as he waits to hear if the Vikings are interested in him. The Athletic has reported that Rodgers might even consider retiring if the Vikings decide not to extend an offer.
The Giants met with Russell Wilson and Joe Flacco last week, two quarterbacks who, like Rodgers and, before him, Matthew Stafford, have been to and won a Super Bowl. It's believed that if the Giants don't land Rodgers, they will try to get a deal done with Wilson, but they have some competition from the Browns, with whom Wilson also met last week.
Getting back to the offensive line additions, Van Roten never missed a snap last year for the Giants, playing mostly at right guard but also giving the team quality snaps at center when John Michael Schmitz dealt with injuries.
Forsythe and Hudson have played 80 NFL games and started a combined 31 of them as interchangeable left and right tackles.
Forsythe totaled nearly 300 pass-block snaps due to injuries to Seattle's starting offensive line and surrendered 35 total pressures at right tackle.
Hudson wasn't much better in Cleveland, accumulating nearly half of Forsythe's pressure total in 2024 on only 159 pass-blocking snaps.
But again, they are swing tackle candidates who will provide depth in case one or both of Andrew Thomas and Jermaine Eluemunor, the projected starters, are injured.
The one area where the Giants improved is on defense. They shored up their secondary with two quality signings: New Orleans cornerback Paulson Adebo and Miami free safety Jevon Holland.
They also added defensive line depth in veteran Roy Robertson-Harris and Chauncey Golston. Both will join a Giants defensive front that already includes Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence II, and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
But the quarterback situation looms for the Giants, who seem to be running out of options. New York scored 10 or fewer points in five of its franchise-high 14 games lost, as the offense just couldn't sustain drives or get into the end zone.
Adding an accomplished veteran bridge quarterback could be the difference between 8-9 and 3-14 at the end of the 2025 season, saving jobs.
