Joe Schoen and Giants cut ties with signing James Hudson amid NFL free agency news
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New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen.
The New York Giants had cut news on the evening of March 6, as multiple NYG beat reporters relayed that veteran swing tackle James Hudson III would be released before NFL free agency.
ESPN’s Jordan Raanan was among the first to report the news, posting: “The Giants released OT James Hudson. A no-brainer. It’s a move that saves $5.4 million against the cap.”
Jordan Raanan
The Giants released OT James Hudson. A no-brainer. It’s a move that saves $5.4 million against the cap.
Joe Schoen and Co. have generally done a solid job on the pro personnel side with free agents. This was a bad miss and an easy first-guess.
“Joe Schoen and Co. have generally done a solid job on the pro personnel side with free agents,” Raanan noted before acknowledging that Hudson “was a bad miss and an easy first-guess.”
The ESPN reporter wasn’t the only one who thought so. After the news, popular Giants podcaster Bobby Skinner commented: “Was obvious that this was a bad signing on day 1. Marcus Mbow beat him out in camp. I think even Stone Forsythe might have [beaten him out] if given the opportunity.”
Needless to say, Hudson will go down as one of Schoen’s worst free agent signings since taking over as general manager.
Giants OT James Hudson III Is Best Remembered for His Head-Scratching Lack of Discipline Amid Cut News
Hudson didn’t get a ton of action with the Giants, but he was called upon to start the first two games of the season with Andrew Thomas working his way back from injury.
Neither performance was good — poor Russell Wilson — but the second outing versus the Dallas Cowboys was so disastrous that Hudson had to be pulled from the game after just 16 offensive snaps.
According to Pro Football Focus, Hudson was charged with 4 penalties over that 16-snap run in Week 2. He also lost his cool and seemed unable to compose himself, leading to his benching.
Overall, Hudson only allowed 1 sack during his brief time as the starter. However, he was charged with a whopping 6 quarterback pressures in Week 1.
The veteran was also flagged 5 times over his 84 snaps as the starting left tackle.
Following his benching, Hudson did not log an offensive snap until Week 18, ironically against the Cowboys once again. He appeared in 1 snap at right tackle to close out his Giants tenure.
Hudson did take the field on special teams throughout the year, but he was very clearly in the metaphorical dog house after Week 2. He’ll join the free agent offensive tackle class next week and look to latch on with a new team.
Giants Continue to Clear Cap Space Before NFL Free Agency
Hudson’s release was as necessary a maneuver as there is in the NFL. Schoen lured him to New York with a two-year, $12 million contract last offseason, but he never did his job.
Hudson was brought in to shore up the offensive tackle depth in case of injury. But as Skinner noted, it very quickly became apparent that he was not up to the task.
Somehow, Hudson was actually a net negative for the Giants. Not only did he not improve the swing tackle position, but he also hindered Big Blue early in the year.
In the end, the season didn’t come down to one or two wins, so Hudson’s impact was minimal. Either way, he didn’t live up to his contract, making him an easy cut for new head coach John Harbaugh and Schoen.