2015 49ers Opponents: Reviewing the New York Giants

With free agency starting, we are wrapping up our opponent's reviews this coming week. Today, we are looking at the New York Giants; this coming week, we will take a look at the NFC West.

The Giants had another disappointing season, going 6-10 and finishing third in the NFC East. The fact of the matter is that this team, despite their recent Super Bowl success, probably is not going to be making waves any time soon. Is that too pessimistic? Perhaps, and if there are any Giants fans reading, please let us know in the comments why I'm wrong. But, the Giants haven't made the playoffs in three seasons now, and they too many holes to overcome how good the NFC is nowadays.

That said, this last season did provide Giants fans with some reason to hope: the emergence of Odell Beckham Jr. was swift and impressive. The WR is incredibly talented and gives the ever-inconsistent Eli Manning a consistent target. The question now will become if the Giants can add some other pieces to the team that will allow Manning and Beckham to flourish.

The Giants have already had a busy offseason prepping the roster for some new additions. They have cut three players: C J.D. Walton, RB Peyton Hillis, and DE Mathias Kiwanuka. They have resigned C Dallas Reynolds and WR Kevin Ogletree. And finally - and perhaps most importantly - they have franchise tagged the talented DE Jason Pierre-Paul, a key contributor on that defense.

Free Agency (courtesy of NFL.com):

Unrestricted Free Agents: Antrel Rolle, S; J.D. Walton, C; Mathias Kiwanuka, DE; Peyton Hillis, RB; Walter Thurmond, CB; Stevie Brown, S; Jacquian Williams, OLB; Spencer Paysinger, OLB; Henry Hynoski, FB; Quintin Demps, S; Jerrel Jernigan, WR; James Brewer, G; John Jerry, G; Zack Bowman, CB; Mark Herzlich, ILB; Antrel Rolle, S.

Restricted Free Agents: N/A.

When looking at the list of free agents, it's worth noting how many safeties are potentially leaving the team. Antrel Rolle, who has been so important for the Giants that it's easy to forget he used to be a division rival on the Arizona Cardinals (although he did play for both teams for five seasons), will be hitting the market, and it sounds like there hasn't been much talk between him and the Giants.  Look for the Giants to bring in some S depth.

Potential Needs:

In addition to S, look for the Giants to bring in some CB depth - with depth being the operative word. Their starters (Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Prince Amukamara) are both quite good. Where I would expect the Giants to spend a good amount of resources is on the o-line. Now that they have franchised JPP, they need to shore up their protection for Manning. It seems like the Giants only do as well as Manning does, and he had a rough season getting protection. I've seen RT and G listed as needs for this o-line. The Giants might also want to bring in some LB and RB competition.