Giants' single best and worst moves of first wave of free agency

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The New York Giants have had a busy offseason since the start of the free-agent signing period, making several additions to the roster as new head coach John Harbaugh tweaks it to his liking.

The Giants have missed the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, going 13-38 in that timeframe. Harbaugh will be tasked with turning the franchise around, and these deals could go a long way in the success or failure of that venture.

Not every deal is going to be great. Of course, many of these moves will need some time before we can truly determine whether they are good or not, but looking at things as they currently stand, we can select the best and worst to this point.

Giants' best move in free agency (so far)

Signing tight end Isaiah Likely

We know that Harbaugh likes his tight ends, so bringing in one from his days in Baltimore makes sense.

Isaiah Likely is an athletic tight end who can stretch the defense down the field and add another weapon to help Jaxson Dart progress in year two. One of Dart's favorite targets during his rookie season was Theo Johnson. Adding Likely now gives him a legitimate two-headed monster to work with at the position.

The Giants did lose Daniel Bellinger in free agency but they still have Chris Manhertz. The position as a whole has been upgraded greatly by this signing and with the way Harbaugh used tight ends in Baltimore, Dart will be helped tremendously.

Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports gave the move a high grade.

"With WR Malik Nabers recovering from a torn ACL and Wan’Dale Robinson headed to free agency, the Giants needed weapons for QB Jaxson Dart.

Likely, a 6-foot-4, 245-pounder, has plenty of untapped potential, and no one knows that better than new Giants coach John Harbaugh. Likely’s production was always capped in Baltimore, mostly because of the prominence of Ravens TE Mark Andrews. But in limited opportunities, Likely always showed he had reliable hands and could stretch the field.

He might have to split the job with TE Theo Johnson. Likely also could see time as a "big slot receiver." Either way, he didn’t cost a ton (three years, $40 million) and he quickly emerges as Dart’s No. 2 target.

Grade for Giants: A-", wrote Vacchiano.

Giants' worst move in free agency (so far)

Re-signing Evan Neal

The No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Evan Neal has been nothing short of a massive bust so far. It was somewhat shocking to see the Giants decide to bring him back, even if it is just a one-year deal worth the NFL minimum.

If Harbaugh's staff can transform him into something, that would be incredible and would make this deal well worth the expense. That said, it seems as though the team should admit its failure on this pick and just cut its losses now.

The Giants still need a better option to start at right guard and it's hard to imagine that being Neal. But if the team doesn't want to shell out the contract for a guy like Wyatt Teller, it may leave no choice but to mold him into something the team can use this coming season.