The New York Giants' most recent move might not result in what some fans are expecting.
The New York Giants finally made a long-awaited roster decision on Sunday night, releasing kicker Graham Gano.
The move was widely anticipated due to Gano's struggles in staying on the field, as he played in just 23 games over the last three seasons.
But does the decision actually move the needle for the Giants?
New York opened up $4.5 million in cap room with the move, which brings the team to about $7.5 million in overall cap space.
Some Giants fans may be under the impression that this now gives the club room to go after a free agent like Calais Campbell or DJ Reader, but unless New York frees up considerably more money elsewhere, it probably won't go that route.
Remember: the Giants need to save money to sign their draft picks. They also need some holdover cash to guard against injuries and to make midseason moves. They aren't going to spend all of their cap in free agency.
So while signing Campbell or Reader would certainly be nice, especially given Big Blue's glaring need at defensive tackle, it probably isn't happening. At least not yet.
Calais Campbell. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images.Now, the Giants can free up some more money by restructuring tackle Andrew Thomas' contract, for example, but even still, New York would be cutting it really close if it then went and spent $6 million on Campbell.
Maybe the Giants would be able to get away with adding Reader for something like $3 million, but even then, you kind of get the sense that New York is going to make its big moves in the NFL Draft at this point.
John Harbaugh did recently say that the Giants aren't done, so maybe he does have something up his sleeve. But I think it's far more likely that New York will pocket that money and use it more prudently.
The Giants still have holes at cornerback, right guard and wide receiver in addition to their interior defensive line, but they obviously aren't patching all of those problems via the open market.
Perhaps New York can convince Greg Van Roten to come back on a hometown discount to maintain the right guard slot, but based on how well he played the last two seasons, even that may prove too expensive for the G-Men.
The Giants have been rather aggressive this offseason, so maybe a Campbell/Reader signing is on the horizon. Fans just shouldn't get their hopes up.
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