Why the New York Giants Must Sign Logan Ryan

With the New York Giants no longer having the option of playing DeAndre Baker or Sam Beal, they will need to get creative. When looking at the options already on their roster, the outlook is bleak. As of right now, the best available talent in free agency is Logan Ryan.

To put it into perspective, the Giants appear positioned to start Darnay Holmes on the boundary opposite of James Bradberry. That’s a problem considering Holmes–the fourth-round pick from the 2020 NFL Draft–was selected with the idea of being a slot corner.

It’s going to be difficult enough for Holmes to make the adjustment to the NFL and achieve immediate success playing a role he’s best suited for. Placing him in a more challenging situation where he has to play on the boundary seems to be asking for underwhelming results.

If the Giants were to sign a free agent like Ryan, they could keep Holmes in the slot and hope for the best. Ryan has achieved a high level of success in the slot himself, but he’s more than capable of getting the job done out on the boundary.

The skill-set Ryan brings to the table is that of a jack-of-all-trades type. Between being able to play both on the inside and outside, he has genuine pass rushing ability and is a proven run stopper. Pairing a player like Ryan with Bradberry would give the Giants an intriguing one-two punch at corner.

If Ryan were willing to agree to it, a mutually beneficial arrangement would be a one-year deal with the Giants. He would be able to test the market once again in 2021 while the team wouldn’t tie up their flexibility ahead of a certain decline in the league-wide salary cap.

The New York Giants reportedly will be bringing back edge-rusher Markus Golden after he signs his $4.1 million tender. The team will have roughly $12.5 million in salary cap space after that occurs, meaning they should have enough to make an enticing contract offer to Logan Ryan.