New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen is entering his third season at the helm of one the NFL’s most prestigious franchises and perhaps his most pivotal one.
His tenure began in 2021 with a successful 9-8 season that saw the Giants qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2016. His second season, however, did not go as well.
The Giants suffered several major injuries and the team took a nosedive under a more challenging schedule. They finished 6-11 and Schoen is drafting in the top ten again in this year’s NFL draft.
“I think we’re still progressing,” Schoen told reporters at the NFL owners meeting in Orlando on Monday. “I just looked at this the other day, the 2021 roster when I got here. I went back and looked at that. We’re always evaluating ourselves.”
“The first offseason, what could you do to really improve the roster? We didn’t have any money (available under the salary cap), so it was (quarterback) Tyrod (Taylor), (center) Jon Feliciano, and (guard Mark) Glowinski. As I started going through the decisions we made and where we are salary cap-wise and trying to make sure we’re in good health from a salary cap standpoint building a young foundation.”
But the NFL, even though it is designed to help struggling tams get better quickly, is still not an exact science. Schoen is learning that as he continues to tweak his roster.
“It takes time, as much as you want instant gratification, and nobody wants that more than me,” Schoen said. “I think you have to believe in the principles and in terms of how to build the team, and we’re going on our third draft. It takes time.
“When I look back at the 2021 roster and where we are now, I just think we’re heading in the right direction, and we’ll continue to head in the right direction in terms of bringing in our type of players and what we’re looking for schematically, what Dabs (coach Brian Daboll) is looking at for his offense, and we’ll keep making progress.”
The Giants have used free agency to bolster their sagging offensive line and hold the sixth overall selection in the upcoming draft. There is much debate on what, or who, they should use that pick on. Many fans want a new quarterback.
Schoen still has a good chunk of his salary cap space dedicated to the quarterback room. Daniel Jones is only in his second season of a four-year, $150 million deal and Schoen inked Drew Lock to a one-year, $5 million flyer earlier this month.
Jones is still recovering from a torn ACL that ended his season after eight games last year. He is progressing and is expected to be under center when the season begins.
“I got an update on Friday,” Schoen said. “He is running on land now. So, he’s off the Ultra-G (anti-gravity treadmill), and he is throwing. Yeah, knock on wood, no setbacks, but he is in there attacking it every day and doing a good job.”
“Every patient is different, and you can’t really predict if swelling is going to occur or if there’s a setback. He’s on the right track right now. Again, we just have to – it’s day-by-day and week-by-week. You just don’t know how he’s going to react as we ramp it up and he starts to do more. Hopefully, there’s no setbacks.”
If there are, Lock will be there to step in. Or maybe, Schoen will surprise everyone with a newer, younger alternative next month at the draft in Detroit.
