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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Micah McFadden was New York Giants' highest-graded player in preseason win over Bills
The New York Giants defeated the Buffalo Bills, 34-25, on Saturday afternoon in Orchard Park to open their 2025 preseason. Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart made his NFL debut and was impressive, and the same can be said for fellow rookies Abdul Carter and Marcus Mbow. Several other players, such as running back Dante Miller, also flashed, while quarterback Tommy DeVito reminded everyone he belongs in this league. But not everything was peaches and cream. Defensive reserves struggled at times, the offense left some points on the board, and a few notable veterans fell flat. Here's a look at the highest- and lowest-graded Giants player from their preseason-opening victory, courtesy of Pro Football Focus. Note: There is no minimum snap count applied for preseason games. Top 5 offense OL Aaron Stinnie (81.8) QB Jaxson Dart (80.7) OL Joshua Ezeudu (79.8) OL Bryan Hudson (77.7) QB Tommy DeVito (76.8) Bottom 5 offense OL Jake Kubas (32.9) TE Greg Dulcich (44.7) TE Jermaine Terry (50.1) WR Juice Wells (50.6) RB Jonathan Ward (50.7) Top 5 defense LB Micah McFadden (92.1) LB Trace Ford (84.3) LB Abdul Carter (82.2) DL D.J. Davidson (77.9) S K'Von Wallace (75.3) Bottom 5 defense LB Chris Board (28.6) CB O'Donnell Fortune (35.4) LB Darius Muasau (41.5) CB Dee Williams (45.2) DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches (45.6) Top 5 special teams CB Nic Jones (89.6) K Graham Gano (77.9) WR Dalen Cambre (73.9) TE Jermaine Terry (73.7) RB Dante Miller (72.3) Bottom 5 special teams LB Tomon Fox (28.7) LB Dyontae Johnson (39.1) TE Greg Duldich (54.1) WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey (56.7) CB Dee Williams (57.3) Other notables RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. (75.1) TE Thomas Fidone (71.4) OL Marcus Mbow (71.2) QB Russell Wilson (70.9) RB Dante Miller (68.5) QB Jameis Winston (65.7) LB Brian Burns (73.6) S Tyler Nubin (72.0) CB Deonte Banks (63.2) DT Darius Alexander (56.4) LB Kayvon Thibodeaux (53.6) This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Micah McFadden was Giants' highest-graded player in win over Bills
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
New York Giants beat Bills, 34-25: Grading every big-name rookie's performance
Abdul Carter in his preseason debut:🔷 6 snaps played | 3 pass rush snaps🔷 3 PRESSURESThis kid is going to be a disruptive force. The New York Giants won their preseason opener against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park on Saturday, 34-25. There is a lot of optimism as their 2025 rookie class looks like a banner one for the second year in a row. Let's take a look at how they performed on Saturday and grade those performances. LB Abdul Carter Abdul Carter played sparingly in the first half. His official line was one assisted tackle, but he gave Bills Pro Bowl tackle Dion Dawkins all he could handle. Grade: A QB Jaxson Dart One didn't have to look far to find out how Jaxson Dart fared on Saturday. Sources around the league discussed his success all over social media. He looked confident and capable. There's no question whether he can handle the job as a rookie. QB controversy here we come. The line: 12-of-19 passing for 154 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions. Three rushes, 24 yards. .@Giants @JaxsonDart had himself a fine debut. He saw a lot , reacted well; made smart decisions; and has NFL talent. Excited to see more. #BaldysBreakdowns Grade: A DT Darius Alexander Darius Alexander got to see some action on Saturday but did not make the scoresheet. He was relatively quiet, and the Giants' defensive line was once again not very impactful with Dexter Lawrence out of the lineup. Alexander does not look like the player the Giants' front office advertised when they drafted him, but it's early. In fairness, it looks as if he faced double-teams on many snaps. Grade: C OL Marcus Mbow Marcus Mbow, however, does look like the player the Giants thought they were getting. He is a battler who played both tackle positions in this game, and you didn't hear a peep out of anyone who tried to get past him. Mbow looks like he could be an answer at tackle for the Giants. He's nasty. Marcus Mbow (#71) 👀👀 Grade: A+ TE Thomas Fidone Thomas Fidone's talent has never been in question. He was the top tight end coming out of high school a few years back alongside Brock Bowers. Knee injuries ruined his college career. That's all behind him, now, and the Giants are benefiting from taking a flyer on him. He caught all three targets for 22 yards and had a two-point conversion. Grade: B+ Undrafted free agents Wide receiver Jorday Bly had an eight-yard reception. Juice Wells and Dalen Cambre were each targeted twice but did not have a catch. Cornerbacks O'Donnell Fortune and T.J. Moore each had three total tackles, and linebacker Trace Ford recovered a fumble. Grade: B Incomplete Running back Cam Skattebo, cornerback Korie Black, and UDFA wide receiver Beaux Collins did not play.
New York Times
21-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
The Giants need more salary cap space. Here's how they can free some up
The New York Giants have just $1.6 million in salary cap space, the lowest amount in the league according to the NFLPA. That will surely change soon because $1.6 million isn't nearly enough cap space to sign their draft class. The Giants will also need additional cap space down the road for in-season expenses, including the practice squad and injury replacements. Advertisement The Giants' final three picks in this year's draft — offensive lineman Marcus Mbow, tight end Thomas Fidone and cornerback Korie Black — signed their contracts during the team's rookie minicamp on May 9. Those modest contracts won't affect the Giants' cap space immediately, since their cap hits fall below the team's 51 most expensive contracts. Only the top 51 cap hits of the 90-man roster count on the cap during the offseason. That changes in Week 1, when all contracts count toward the cap (which is another expense the Giants must budget for). The Giants will need cap space when they start signing their top picks. No. 3 pick Abdul Carter's contract will carry an $8.2 million cap hit and No. 25 pick Jaxson Dart will have a $3.1 million cap hit. Those signings could come at any time. Last year, first-round Malik Nabers signed during rookie minicamp. The Giants' three first-round picks in the previous two years all signed their contracts in May. In fact, every Giants draft pick in the past two classes signed their contracts by the end of May. There's an obvious incentive for rookies to sign: The sooner they sign their contracts, the sooner they collect their signing bonuses. So expect Carter, Dart and the rest of the class to sign in the near future. That will prompt the Giants to create cap space. General manager Joe Schoen has options to create space, but the most direct avenue is to restructure contracts. Outside linebacker Brian Burns sticks out as the most logical restructure candidate. Burns has a $22.3 million base salary in 2025, which lends to creating a significant amount of cap space with a restructure. Assuming Schoen continues his practice of not adding void years, the Giants could create $15.7 million in cap space with a max restructure of Burns' contract, which runs through 2028. Advertisement That would reduce Burns' cap hit this year from $29.8 million to $14 million. The $15.7 million created this year would be pushed into the final three years of his contract, with new cap hits of $36 million in 2026, $37.7 million in 2027 and $37.7 million in 2028. Schoen may not elect for a max restructure, but there's no reason to leave any meat on the bone with Burns' contract. Creating $15.7 million in cap space would give the Giants enough room to sign their draft class, with space left over for in-season expenses. Expect word of a Burns restructure to coincide with the signing of Carter and other draft picks. Restructuring Burns will buy the Giants breathing room, but it's unlikely that it will create enough cap space to get through the season. The other players with ample base salaries conducive to a restructuring are left tackle Andrew Thomas ($16.4 million) and nose tackle Dexter Lawrence ($15.5 million). On the surface, Thomas is an obvious restructure candidate since his contract runs through 2029. A max restructure of Thomas' contract would create $12.2 million in cap space this year, while pushing that amount into the final four years of the contract. However, restructuring Thomas' contract doesn't figure to be a no-brainer for Schoen since he has been conservative about pushing money into the future for players with injury concerns. Thomas has missed 18 games over the past two seasons and is returning from a Lisfranc injury. Although Thomas is only 26, Schoen may have trepidations about shifting money into the future for a player with his injury history. The guaranteed money in Thomas' contract expires in 2026, and the team could move on with just $4.7 million in dead money after the 2026 season. Schoen may want to keep that option open if Thomas' injury woes continue. Advertisement Even when Schoen restructured Thomas' contract last summer — one major injury ago — the GM only pushed $3.3 million into future years. A more aggressive restructure last offseason could have moved up to $14.4 million into the future. It's telling that Schoen was far more conservative with his restructure of Thomas' deal, especially because a restructure of linebacker Bobby Okereke's deal to create $4.5 million was necessary a month later. So expect Schoen to leave Thomas' contract alone unless there are no other appealing options to create cap relief. That leaves Lawrence as the most obvious secondary restructure candidate behind Burns. The Giants could create $8.7 million in cap savings with a max restructure of Lawrence's contract. That would result in $8.7 million being pushed into the final two years of Lawrence's contract, resulting in cap hits of $31.3 million in 2026 and $33.3 million in 2027. That appears like an obvious move if the cap space is needed, since the 27-year-old Lawrence remains at the top of his game. The only potential complication with restructuring Lawrence is that he could be seeking a raise, as the defensive tackle market has exploded since he signed a four-year, $90 million extension in the spring of 2023. As with every veteran contract the Giants tender, the team has the right to restructure Lawrence's contract at its discretion. But if Schoen doesn't intend to enter negotiations on a raise with Lawrence, the GM may elect to avoid any contractual transactions. There's a future cost associated with the immediate savings created by any restructure. The Giants would lose $5.2 million in 2026 cap space with a max restructure of Burns this year. The Giants are currently projected to have $28.2 million in cap space in 2026 by Over the Cap (OTC). That's 14th most in the league and a benefit of having what they expect to be a starting quarterback in Dart on his rookie contract. Advertisement Restructuring Burns and other veterans would chisel away at that 2026 cap space. That's why Schoen could also pursue cap savings with no future implications. Cutting players or getting them to take pay cuts would result in cap savings this year without dipping into future cap space. Kicker Graham Gano and defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches stood out as the top cap casualty candidates at the start of the offseason. The Giants could have cut Gano, who is signed through 2026, at the start of the offseason for $3.2 million in cap savings with a $2.5 million dead money charge. Cutting Gano seemed like a distinct possibility since the 38-year-old has struggled with injuries and performance the past two seasons. But the Giants haven't added any kicking competition this offseason, so it appears they're content to stick with Gano. Cutting Nunez-Roches would create $3.6 million in cap savings while leaving a $1.4 million dead money charge. That seemed like an obvious move before the Giants signed veterans Roy Robertson-Harris and Jeremiah Ledbetter, and drafted Darius Alexander in the third round. Nunez-Roches, who turns 32 in July, is in the final year of his contract. The Giants value his leadership, but a $5 million cap charge for a rotational defensive tackle seems excessive considering the Giants' tight cap situation. Nunez-Roches could land on the chopping block — or at least in position for a pay cut — if the cheaper defensive line options perform well in training camp. Schoen has made a habit of squeezing players who earned proven performance escalators for pay cuts around cut day. Slayton took such a pay cut in 2022; cornerback Darnay Holmes did the same in 2023. There are three potential candidates in that category this year: Cornerback Cor'Dale Flott, tight end Daniel Bellinger and linebacker Micah McFadden. As Day 3 picks in the 2022 draft who played at least 35 percent of the Giants' snaps in their first three seasons, all of those players earned a raise in their base salary from $1.1 million to $3.4 million. Advertisement The way for those players to avoid a pay cut is to seize a valuable role. That's how cornerback Nick McCloud staved off a pay cut until midseason last year. McFadden is best positioned after starting 28 games over the past two seasons, although he figures to have competition for his role from cheaper options Darius Muasau and Dyontae Johnson. The Giants also signed veteran linebacker/special teamer Chris Board to a two-year, $5.7 million contract this offseason. The signing of Paulson Adebo will bump Flott out of the starting lineup, but the 2022 third-round pick still projects as the top backup corner. He'll need to maintain that status to avoid a potential pay cut. Bellinger is in the most perilous position. Theo Johnson took over as the No. 1 tight end as a rookie last season, while the Giants re-signed Chris Manhertz, who has a clear role as the team's top blocking tight end. That leaves Bellinger as the No. 3 tight end. While he has value in that role, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Schoen squeeze Bellinger for a pay cut to pick up $2.3 million in cap space before the start of the season. A note on the cost of the Giants' quarterback room. It's been celebrated that the Giants are only paying Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston a combined $14 million on the cap this year. Even when Dart's $3.1 million cap hit is added, it's an affordable group. But the picture changes when the $22.2 million dead money charge from Daniel Jones' contract is included. The Giants will finally be free from the Jones albatross next year, with Wilson's one-year, $10.5 million contract also off the books. That will leave them with just $8.9 million committed to Dart and Winston at quarterback in 2026. The Giants structured their free agent contracts this offseason with that cheap 2026 quarterback room in mind. It's commonplace for lucrative contracts to have lower cap hits in the first year that increase in future years. What's unique about the Giants' structure this year is that Adebo and wide receiver Darius Slayton each have bigger cap hits in Year 2 than Year 3 in their three-year contracts. Advertisement Adebo's three-year, $54 million contract has cap hits of $11.7 million in 2025, $23 million in 2026 and $19 million in 2027. Slayton's three-year, $36 million contract has cap hits of $7 million in 2025, $16 million in 2026 and $13 million in 2027. It's not a major departure from the Giants' typical structure, but it sticks out, and it fits with the cheap quarterback room they're expected to deploy in 2026. As usual, the Giants were among the biggest spenders in the NFL this offseason. The Giants dished out over $224 million in free agency this offseason, according to OTC. That was the fourth-most in the league. The Giants also ranked fourth in free agent spending in 2024 at $206 million, according to OTC. They dished out an astronomical $422 million in contracts during the 2023 offseason. (Photo of Micah McFadden and Brian Burns: Nic Antaya / Getty Images)
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
New York Giants' Marcus Mbow prepared to play 'every position' along the OL
New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen has made fixing the offensive line a priority since he took over the job three years ago. He has tried everything to improve the line from using high draft picks to signing established veteran free agents. This year, Schoen went into free agency and basically whiffed and it wasn't until Day 3 of the 2025 NFL draft that he finally found what could be the key piece of the unit this year. Advertisement Marcus Mbow of Purdue was selected with the 154th pick in the draft. He may be just what Schoen has been looking for. "He's a guy that we were a little bit surprised that he was there when we picked. We really liked his film," Schoen said two weeks ago after drafting Mbow. "He's another guy at the Senior Bowl that we got to spend some time with. "Really athletic player, has some position flexibility from tackle to guard. We think he can play both. Smart guy, finishes on film. You see him running down on the pulls and stuff. Super athletic. Excited about him." At rookie minicamp this weekend, Mbow was lining up at right tackle but once the full team convenes, we could see him line up all over the line until the Giants find the right fit. Advertisement "I don't know a hundred percent," Mbow responded when asked where he felt he would end up. "I'll probably be moving everywhere, it's day two. Looking to see where it goes from there." Mbow, appears to be prepared to play anywhere he's needed. He has little preference. "Either way, I like to know every position on the line, like what each role is, no matter what's going on. Being able to play all positions would be better for myself at tackle or at guard or at center. Just being able to know everything, know what everybody's doing, I'll be good. I wouldn't say it's too stressful," he said. "All five," Mbow stressed a second time when asked about position preference. Advertisement He's confident but not cocky. This is the NFL, after all. No one gets to the top without putting in the work. Mbow was asked what his current mindset is and if it will change once veterans return to the building. "For the most part, learn, learn, learn, learn. It's definitely not going to change when the veterans get here. I just want to continue to be the best version of myself each day and I want to be the best one day," he said. "I'm going to keep striving until I get to that one day and just learn as much as I can. Keep going each day." Versatility can only help both Mbow and the Giants. This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants' Marcus Mbow prepared to play 'every position' along the OL
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
WATCH: FSU baseballs Link Jarrett talks win over Jacksonville, Cal road trip
Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen on Giants selecting RB Cam Skattebo and guard Marcus Mbow in NFL Draft Giants GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll recapped the final day of the NFL Draft in which they chose Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo, Purdue guard Marcus Mbow, tight end Thomas Fidone from Nebraska and Oklahoma State cornerback Korie Black. Both men cited Skattebo as one of their favorite players in the draft and were also surprised Mbow was still available. 12:16 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
