Schoen's best three and worst three moves since being hired

[DaveBrown74]

While I know the 2024 offseason technically isn't over, I think it's fair to say the key portions of it (draft, premium free agency, key contract decisions, coaching changes, etc) are behind us.

So for all intents and purposes, Joe Schoen has now gotten through the bulk of three offseasons as Giants' GM.

While I appreciate that many of Schoen's decisions cannot yet be conclusively judged, but one can still have opinions.

So in your opinion, what have been Schoen's three best moves so far as Giants' GM? What have been his three worst?

If you cannot think of three, feel free to just list one or two.

[Giant Obsession]

I'll start with the worst 3.  While I clean the kitchen maybe I can think of 3 best moves.

1.  The hiring of Daboll.  Just what we needed another untried, unproven rookie HC.  I'm sure it made Shoen's job easier having someone beholding to him to form their "buddy" team.

2.  The Waller trade.  Discussed ad nauseum here.  Could have given it to Niners and had our QB of the future.  Instead he lands on the Cowboys.

3.  The Offensive Line. The state of flux and confusion continues.   We are running out of OL coaches to blame it on.

4.  Our 1st and 2nd round draft choices.  Another helping of More WR for everybody.  At least they do seem to have talent, but this is very reminiscent of Matt Millen with the Lions, at the time another putrid franchise.  Ol' Matt put his stamp on the team drafting 3 (yes THREE) WR in the 1st round in his first 4 years as GM.  BTW Thibs is just an above average player at best.   

Daboll is on a short leash this year, Shoen has maybe 1 or 2 extra links in his neck collar.

[Doc16LT56]

Best:
1. Bobby Okereke, 4 yr 40 million free agent contract
2. Kadarius Toney, traded for a 3rd round pick
3. Leonard Williams, traded for 2nd and 5th round picks

The Nabers pick and Burns trade could be on this list by the end of the season.

Worst:
1. Used 4 draft picks on the OL with very little to show for it so far.
2. Gave up a 3rd round pick for the washed up Darren Waller.
3. The Daniel Jones contract.

Daboll could be on this list by the end of the season if he doesn't learn to control his emotions.

[sxdxca38]

A) To me his best move to date was drafting an elite WR in Malik Nabers.

He physically looks like the next Michael Jordan of receivers out there.

This one player can radically transform the projected stats for DJ and the entire offense as a whole.

[ralphpal1]

Not sure if the D Jones contract was super bad
I guess the thinking is that daballo would bring out the best in him
What was bad is that it should of been no dead money after the second year
Also the injury clause was dumb

[MightyGiants]

Schoen's best moves

1) Bobby Okereke
2) Drafting Daniel Bellinger
3) Drafting Micah McFadden


Worst moves

1) Offensive line (includes drafting Evan Neal
2) Waller trade
3) Not trading Barkley and McKinney last season
Bonus- 4) Letting Julian Love walk

[T200]

Schoen's best moves

1) Bobby Okereke
2) Drafting Daniel Bellinger
3) Drafting Micah McFadden


Worst moves

1) Offensive line (includes drafting Evan Neal
2) Waller trade
3) Not trading Barkley and McKinney last season
Bonus- 4) Letting Julian Love walk

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the draft pick from KC for Kadarius Toney used for Darren Waller?

I'd consider them a wash, if that's the case.

As much as I wanted to keep Barkley, I do agree with you that it was best to trade him for something of value.

[MightyGiants]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the draft pick from KC for Kadarius Toney used for Darren Waller?

I'd consider them a wash, if that's the case.

As much as I wanted to keep Barkley, I do agree with you that it was best to trade him for something of value.

Tim,


You are correct.  The pick 100 was part of the trade.  I don't tie the two together, though.  Once the Toney trade was made, the team had the picks.   Now you have to consider how the two picks were spent.  Admittedly, pick 100 isn't that high, but you think you should get more than a one year rental on an oft injured veteran.

[T200]

Tim,


You are correct.  The pick 100 was part of the trade.  I don't tie the two together, though.  Once the Toney trade was made, the team had the picks.   Now you have to consider how the two picks were spent.  Admittedly, pick 100 isn't that high, but you think you should get more than a one year rental on an oft injured veteran.

I look at it as house money. The Toney pick was made by Gettleman. Toney was a zero-sum resource when Schoen took over. He took nothing and turned it into something in the form of picks. He attempted to take that something and parlay into a resource that the team needed and could use in Waller. It didn't work out and now Waller is retired. We're back to the zero-sum that he started with. That's why I consider it a wash.

[coggs]

Everyone loved the Waller move at the time.  Anyone complaining about it now is full of xxxx.

[MightyGiants]

Everyone loved the Waller move at the time.  Anyone complaining about it now is full of xxxx.

I get what you are saying.  Although I I think everyone appreciated it was a gamble.   When the gamble busts, it's natural for people to look to the person who placed the bet, even if they were okay with it.

[T200]

I get what you are saying.  Although I I think everyone appreciated it was a gamble.   When the gamble busts, it's natural for people to look to the person who placed the bet, even if they were okay with it.

This.

I don't put it down as one of his worst moves though.

[Ed Vette]

I look at this as a balance sheet.

Assets
Drafting Thibs
Trading for Burns
Improving the ILB's, Okereke, Simmons, McFadden
Drafting Nabors and Hyatt
Signing Drew Lock
Contracts for Dex and Thomas
Signing Singletary to replace Barkley
Siding with Daboll over Martindale
Drafting JMS
Hiring Daboll and Kafka

Liabilities
Signing Jones instead of tagging him
Loosing Barkley and McKinney for nothing
Not upgrading the 2022 Oline properly
Not signing a replacement for Williams and Jackson
Losing instead of committing to players who went on to solid careers elsewhere.
Not making an effort to Draft McCarthy, Nix or Penix
Waiting a year to replace the Oline Coach
Evan Neal is in his put up or shut up year.

[AZGiantFan]

Everyone loved the Waller move at the time.  Anyone complaining about it now is full of xxxx.

Not everyone.  And every positive reaction was hedged with "if he can stay healthy" and "if he can return to his form of 2 years ago", with hope overriding common sense.

[Doc16LT56]

Not everyone.  And every positive reaction was hedged with "if he can stay healthy" and "if he can return to his form of 2 years ago", with hope overriding common sense.

I didn't love the Waller trade. As you stated, he was coming off two injury plagued and unproductive seasons. He only had two productive/great seasons before that, so this isn't a player like Gronk or Kelce who established himself as demonstrating excellence over a long period of time.

I remember being genuinely bothered when Jerry Reese wasn't able to close the deal on trading for Tony Gonzales. This isn't Tony Gonzales.

Waller isn't the guy people try to portray him as. He only had two season worth remembering. So the idea that trading for Waller was a slam dunk is false. His background and career history made him an obviously huge risk. For a rebuilding team, it isn't a straightforward good idea trading a 3rd rounder for a guy like that.