Doubling down on what he hinted at when he was hired, New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman reportedly wants Eli Manning under center next year.
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports Gettleman and Manning had a meeting this past week that was “great” and during which Gettlemen affirmed he wants the veteran starting for the Giants next season. However, Gettleman reportedly isn’t going to hesitate to draft Manning’s replacement if he thinks he can land the right guy for the job.
“On the topic of young quarterbacks, Gettleman pointed out to Manning the personnel department still has to dig in on evaluating the college class of 2018 and compare them to the young quarterback on the roster, Davis Webb, who was a third-round selection in the 2017 draft.”
Despite what we’ve seen as a clear indication that Manning isn’t as sharp as he was in his prime, there’s no doubt he’s still the best quarterback in New York right now. Given the emphasis Gettleman has placed on building the trenches, it stands to reason the Giants might forego drafting one of the “top” quarterbacks at the top of Round 1 in favor of bringing in a top-tier offensive tackle to protect Manning’s blind side.
For what it’s worth, Mortensen reports Manning as being amenable to Gettleman bringing in a top young quarterback, if that’s the direction he takes in the draft.
Given New York’s monumental struggles up front in recent years, this scribe is leaning toward the offensive line being of more import than a raw quarterback who won’t take the field in 2018 unless Manning is injured. This is especially true when we consider Pat Shurmur — a guy who’s gotten amazing things out of mediocre quarterbacks — is about to take over New York’s offense as its presumed next head coach.