Giants fill need, add mentor for Beckham with Marshall signing
The New York Giants produced one of the more sensible free-agent signings in recent memory when they reportedly inked elite receiver Brandon Marshall to a two-year, $12-million contract on Wednesday.
The acquisition of Marshall not only fills a glaring need for the Giants, it keeps them in lock step with the rival Dallas Cowboys, props open the team's Super Bowl window with Eli Manning still at the controls, and brings aboard a much-needed mentor for dynamic yet volatile superstar receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
On the field, the benefits are obvious. The Giants had hoped Beckham, a healthy Victor Cruz, and a rookie Sterling Shepard would be enough offensively to keep New York in the top tier of championship contenders. However, the team recognized in 2016 that it needed a much bigger receiving threat to both aid and take attention away from Beckham. The Giants, somehow, finished 16th in the league in passing last year.
Marshall is now the secondary option. Not long removed from a 1,500-yard season catching passes from Ryan Fitzpatrick, the veteran is still one of the best at his position. His down 2016 season coincided with the downward spiral of both Fitzpatrick and New York Jets, but Marshall played through various injuries to remain on the field in every game but the season finale and averaged 13.4 yards per catch.
The Giants overhauled their defense last year. With the addition of Marshall, they can count themselves as a serious threat to the team with the best record in the NFC, the Cowboys. Dallas lost just four games in 2016. Two of those defeats came at the hands of the G-Men.
Marshall may make just as big an impact in the locker room as he will on the field. While he notably butted heads with Jets teammates during their disappointing 5-11 season, he may be one of the few in the league who can relate to new teammate Beckham Jr.
Marshall's early years in the league were marred by emotional outbursts. After revealing in 2011 that he was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, he's since become an advocate for mental illness and a role model for legions of fans. He's still prone to tantrums, but he can be a comforting voice and a sympathetic ear for Beckham who also rubbed his teammates the wrong way last year with his own fits and rants.
Marshall can be an ally for Beckham. He said as much to Bob Glauber of Newsday in September.
"There's definitely things that I do to try and stay calm, because I'm just like him," Marshall said. "The world sees a guy (in Beckham) who may be a distraction or has a bad attitude. But deep down, this is a guy who loves football. He competes at the highest level, and he'd do anything for his team to win."
Marshall offered, then, some pieces of advice he would extend to Beckham. Now he can do that from the stall next door.
At the bargain price of $12 million over two years, the Giants get the complementary receiving threat they sorely needed and guidance for their best player.
It's a shrewd move by general manager Jerry Reese and continues the string of success he's enjoyed dealing on the open market.