Pat Leonard: Giants must right this wrong to avoid another Eli Manning disaster

Jan. 30--The other part of this equation now is what Eli Manning wants.

The Giants have made it clear they intend to bring Manning back as their starting quarterback in 2019 as long as he'll help groom his successor. But while Manning wants to keep playing for the Giants, he would not be coming back to go 8-8 and prepare some kid to take over.

Manning, 38, would be coming back to win. To try to win it all. For a third time. And so Giants brass -- no matter what pay cut Manning agrees to -- will need to prioritize the present over the future. Rebuilding for the long-term could continue in pieces but not at the expense of contending next fall.

Archie Manning told ESPN himself on Dec. 30: "If (Eli) comes back, the Giants have got to win. They can't go through another season like this."

Manning is beloved in New York and New Jersey and always will be, but his body, patience and career record have taken a beating the last two seasons. And his legacy certainly can do without another 17 weeks of constant second-guessing of his abilities, pending retirement and locker room drama.

GM Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur certainly share Manning's desire to win in 2019, entering year two of their regime after a 5-11 start. As does ownership. But Gettleman must act accordingly -- if he truly intends to bring Manning back as his starter -- to put a top-10 offense on the field.

A team with Odell Beckham Jr. at wide receiver, Saquon Barkley at running back and Shurmur calling plays has no business averaging fewer than 30 points per game, really. Gettleman already re-signed Beckham and drafted Barkley to help Manning, though, and the 2018 offense averaged just 18.75 points through eight weeks before scoring 24.75 per game in the second half.

So what else can the GM do?

I would advocate, of course, that Gettleman's best route to improving the offense would be to change the quarterback. However, with the understanding that he intends to bring Manning back, all that's left is the offensive line and Manning's protection -- to get it right after getting it very wrong in year one.

For the fact remains that as Gettleman looked to build a contender immediately in 2018, there were people inside the Giants facility who believed last season was doomed from the start because of the GM's failure to properly address what he had identified as his priority: the O-line.

Gettleman signed free agent Nate Solder at left tackle and drafted left guard Will Hernandez in the second round out of UTEP to team with new center Jon Halapio. But the GM's decision to retain Ereck Flowers as right tackle with little insurance and his signing of free agent Patrick Omameh at right guard devastated the unit. Solder also took some time to assimilate in a new system, and Hernandez predictably struggled early before steadying late, and Halapio got hurt.

So if the Giants truly intend to bring Manning back as their starting quarterback in 2019, they're going to need to assemble a fortress around him to establish a dominant running game and a clean pocket.

That could extend to improvements at fullback and at tight end, but it would start and finish on the right side of the line. And it remains to be seen which linemen actually will hit free agency.

In recent days, both the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts have re-signed offensive linemen to prevent them from hitting the market. The Bears re-signed right tackle Bobby Massie, 29, to a four-year contract, and the Colts locked up right guard Mark Glowinski, 26, on a three-year deal.

Giants right guard Jamon Brown, 25, a mid-season signing, is a pending unrestricted free agent, while backup center Spencer Pulley, 25, is a restricted FA.

Come the start of free agency in March, the Miami Dolphins' Ja'Wuan James, 26, is expected to lead the available class of right tackles. And former Gettleman Carolina draft pick and Panthers RT Darryl Williams, 26, a 2017 second-team All-Pro coming off injury, also is a pending free agent to watch.

Gettleman also will examine a draft crop headlined by the likes of Washington State's Andre Dillard, Alabama's Jonah Williams, Florida's Jawaan Taylor, Mississippi State's Greg Little, Wisconsin's David Edwards, Oklahoma's Cody Ford, Kansas State's Dalton Risner, West Virginia's Yodny Cajuste, USC's Chuma Edoga, Alabama State's Tytus Howard and Boston College's Chris Lindstrom.

The big question, though, if Gettleman intends to bring back Manning, is what that means for the Giants' No. 6 overall pick. Can Gettleman really show Manning he is putting the best team around him in 2019 if he uses that selection on a rookie QB who can't help Manning win now? Hard to imagine.

More likely it means using that No. 6 overall pick on a plug-and-play starting position player, just as Gettleman did last year. Maybe even on the defensive line to help the pass rush, which has proven more-than-complementary to Manning's Super Bowl heroics in the past.

He'll need to upgrade the O-line in a big way, though, if he intends to bring Manning back as his starter in 2019. Because Manning needs the help, and he doesn't need another year like the last two.

GIANTS PARTING WITH BARWIN

Veteran defensive end Connor Barwin, 32, indicated on Instagram that he and the Giants are parting ways.

"The journey continues," Barwin wrote beneath a photo of his white No. 53 Giants jersey from last season, signed by teammates. "Thankful for it all! @ New York Football Giants."

Cutting Barwin will save the Giants $1.5 million against their 2019 salary cap while costing them only $365,000 in dead money. Barwin was a late-July signing to be a steadying veteran presence last season. He had 12 tackles, four passes defended and one sack in 15 games, including three starts.

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