New York Giants 2012 NFL Free Agency: Could Safety Still Be A Target?

The NFL Draft has come and gone. The 'sexy' part of NFL Free Agency has come and gone, with the available star players having found homes. What is left to do, except wait for training camp?

Well, New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese famously says that he uses the draft to find the best value and tries to use free agency to fill holes. There are a couple of holes Reese could still try to fill free agency -- either now or later in the summer when NFL teams release some of their veteran players prior to the opening of training camps. The ones that jump out at me are safety and defensive tackle.

Let's look at the safety position today.

Yes, the Giants drafted Tyler Sash in the sixth round a season ago and signed Chris Horton as a free agent, yet 'comfortable' is not the word that comes to mind when I think of any of the players who could potentially back up Kenny Phillips and Antrel Rolle. So, I think the Giants could be on the lookout for an upgrade here.

I gave it away way the front-page photo, but the name that jumps out at me among available safeties is Jim Leonhard, formerly of the New York Jets. Unfortunately, it seems like Leonhard is not likely to be available for the start of the 2012 season, so pursuing him would be pointless.

Some of the other notable names on the list from Walter Football are O.J. Atogwe (Washington Redskins), Nick Collins (Green Bay Packers), Melvin Bullitt (Indianapolis Colts) and Yeremiah Bell (Miami Dolphins).

Anyone on this list appeal to you at all? The Giants, of course, could wait until later this summer and see who else shakes free. Looking at these names, that might not be a bad idea.