Braylon Will Be A Giant……But When..?
In sifting through the rubble that the NFL Draft always leaves behind, I’m still feeling a bit empty. Perhaps its because the Giants didn’t pull the trigger on a deal that would land them Cleveland’s Braylon Edwards.
I’m not alone in thinking this. There are many who have given the Giants a B grade this past week, even though it appears that GM Jerry Reese has had another productive draft. Yes, they drafted two highly regarded wideouts in Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden. Yes, they got a potential seambreaker in Travis Beckum. And yes, David Tyree is healthy and ready to return.
All of that should allay my fears that the Giants sufficiently backfilled the loss of both Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer.
But it doesn’t.
Even those combined with their other receiving options – WRs Steve Smith, Mario Manningham, Sinorice Moss, Domenik Hixon and TE Kevin Boss – the team is still lacking that standout receiver that keeps opposing defensive coordinators up at night.
That is where Edwards comes in. He would be that guy.
According to ESPN’s John Clayton, the deal could be done if the Giants were willing to pay the price. According to Clayton, right now that price would be a 1st and a 3rd round draft pick. The Giants will not submit to that, and I agree that they shouldn’t – and they may not have to.
Edwards is a free agent after this season, and it is widely known that he would love to come to New York. Bottom line -he’s likely to be a Giant in 2010, anyway…… but the team really needs him now.
The Giants will wait until after mini camp to decide if they want to still deal. If the new receiver group looks like it could work out, the team will wait for Edwards to become a free agent and attempt to sign him then.
But there are several factors that still lead me to believe that the Giants may not wait until next year to get Edwards and that this could get done in some form in the next few weeks. It will not be a first round pick, I assure you that. Perhaps a 2 or a 3 along with a player at the most. It appears the Browns know their leverage is slipping and will listen to a trade offer since they have recently been beefing up their receiving corps.
The life-after-Braylon groundwork is already being put in place by the Browns. Last week, Tony Grossi of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that Edwards had stopped participating in the team’s off-season conditioning program – perhaps to keep him from getting injured and reducing his trade value. Last Saturday, the Browns drafted two receivers in the 2nd round (Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi). This week, they brought in 6’5″ veteran Drew Bennett for a look-see. Let’s not forget they signed former Giant David Patten as a free agent this past winter as well.
All of this leads us to Braylon Edwards leaving Cleveland for New York. Its not a matter of if, but a matter of when.…
