The Carolina Panthers will not use their franchise tag on running back DeAngelo Williams, allowing the 27-year-old to become an unrestricted free agent. I know that the subject of whether or not pursuing Williams would be a good idea for the New York Giants was already raised in a 'Fanpost,' but I thought I would expand on it some.
We know there are tons of questions about the Giants running backs. Will they be able to keep free-agent Ahmad Bradshaw, who they will apparently not place a franchise tag on? Brandon Jacobs is under contract, but after a sometimes tumultuous season and with questions about how many productive years Jacobs has left, do they want to keep him?
Williams, a year younger and with fewer carrier carries than Jacobs (841-926) could prove to be an attractive option. No doubt, though, that Williams will have plenty of suitors, so the price tag is likely to be hefty. Even coming off an injury-plagued 2010 that saw him play in just six games Williams is a proven commodity who should still have several productive seasons in front of him.
An added bonus, purely from a Giants perspective. He has only six fumbles in his five-year, 841-carry career -- less than Bradshaw had in 2010 alone. Williams is also a capable pass catcher, having caught at least 22 passes in every season except 2010. Jacobs has done that just once, a career-best 23 in 2007.
If this was a pick-up game and I was choosing sides, I would probably take Williams over Jacobs. It is not, however, that simple. If you could simply remove Jacobs and slide DeAngelo Wiliams into that spot that is a move I would make.