New York Giants Snag Shane Vereen From The Patriots

Obviously there are countless holes on the defensive side of the ball that the Giants have failed to fill so far – but it’s not for a lack of trying. Brandon Graham agreeing to return to Philly yesterday was the latest swing & miss. I’d still prefer help there, but picking up Shane Vereen is a pretty big deal. When Ben McAdoo was given the keys to this offense, he came in looking to scale back Eli’s downfield attempts & focus on getting him to a 70% completion rate. Although 63% fell short, it was still Manning’s best season as far as efficiency despite a career-high in attempts. Discovering arguably the league’s best offensive weapon in Odell Beckham, Jr. surely helped. Combining ODB with the expected healthy return of Victor Cruz & addition of a top backfield receiver in Vereen may have Eli hitting on 70% over 1000 attempts in 2015.

Vereen’s deal is 3 years/$12.35 mil with $4.75 mil guaranteed. Not a huge commitment for those questioning his durability, but it’s easy to be skeptical about Reese out-bidding the competition for a situational back. Health aside, the Big Blue stable of backs cover all the bases. Jennings will assumedly still be the all-around guy getting early down work, Williams will serve as the bruiser & Vereen will come in on passing downs. He’s protected Tom Brady, so if he’s not running routes he’ll be reliable in keeping Eli upright. Vereen’s a game-changer, as evidenced by hauling in 11 of 12 passes in the Patriots Super Bowl win. Opposing teams will have their hands full drawing up a game plan for both he & ODB together. There’s still a lot of work to be done defensively to avoid a season of 49-42 losses, but Vereen is a key offensive acquisition fans should be excited about.

Also, they inked LB Jonathan Casillas who could replace Jacquian Williams at weakside but was mostly a special-teamer last year. It’s a start. 3 years/$10.5 mil. They picked up a return man, too – Dwayne Harris from the Cowboys. Not only can the Giants use a boost there but this will help having to risk Beckham getting decapitated. 5 years/$17.5 with $7.1 guaranteed though…again, that’s a lot of money when we still have no safeties. Finally, RT Marshall Newhouse comes in on a 2-year deal for some offensive line depth.

With Rolle apparently headed to Big Cat Country…can we please get a safety?