The new league year is right around the corner.
The NFL calendar officially flips to 2021 on March 17, when all 2020 player contracts expire and thus free agency begins. The league has finally set the salary cap at $182.5 million, down from $198.2 million in 2020 as the league deals with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the placement of the franchise tag on Leonard Williams, the Giants now have 15 players set to become free agents next week.
In anticipation of what has already been a wild offseason for player movement, NFL.com ranked the top 101 free agents of 2021. A few players' names have been crossed off the list, as several free agents have already agreed to deals with new teams. However, other big names remain.
While we wait to see what the team does, Giants.com broke down the roster as it currently stands in the "2021 Free Agency Position Preview" series. Here you will find the Giants' current depth, the team's pending free agents, and the top players available from across the league at each position with analysis from NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal.
The other free agency previews can be found here: offensive playmakers at wide receiver and tight end, edge rushers, quarterbacks and running backs, defensive backs and offensive linemen.
Now let's get into the defensive tackles and linebackers.
Defensive Tackles
Current Depth: Leonard Williams, Dexter Lawrence, B.J. Hill, RJ McIntosh, David Moa (reserve/future deal)
Pending Free Agents: Dalvin Tomlinson, Austin Johnson
The Giants already made a significant move on the interior defensive line this week with the placement of the franchise tag on Leonard Williams. Williams led the team with a career-high 11.5 sacks last year, his first full season with the Giants. Dexter Lawrence is entering his third season after racking up four sacks and six tackles for loss last season. The 2019 first-round pick has not missed a game in his two seasons with the team. B.J. Hill was a third-round pick in 2018 and registered a sack and a pass defended in 16 games last year. R.J. McIntosh, a fifth-round pick in 2018, did not appear in a game in 2020, while David Moa was signed to the practice squad in October. Moa was signed to a reserve/future deal after the season.
View the team's current depth on the roster at defensive tackle.
Leonard Williams
Dexter Lawrence
B.J. Hill
RJ McIntosh
David Moa
Leonard Williams (99)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - JANUARY 03: The New York Giants take on the Dallas Cowboys at Metlife Stadium on January 3, 2021 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Ben Solomon/New York Giants)
New York Giants defensive end Leonard Williams (99) during a week 6 regular season football game against the Washington Football Team at MetLife Stadium on October 18th, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
Leonard Williams (99)
Leonard Williams (99)
New York Giants defensive end Leonard Williams (99) sacks Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) during a week 8 regular season Monday Night football game at MetLife Stadium on November 2nd, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants defensive end Leonard Williams (99) during a week 8 regular season Monday Night football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at MetLife Stadium on November 2nd, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
Dexter Lawrence, Leonard Williams
New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence (97) takes part in a week 8 regular season game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Sunday October 27th, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan
Dexter Lawrence (97)
Dexter Lawrence (97)
DL Dexter Lawrence (97)
Dexter Lawrence (97)
DL Dexter Lawrence (97)
New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence (97) takes part in a week 12 regular season game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday November 24th, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois
New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence (97) during a week 17 regular season football game against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on January 3, 2021 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence (97) sacks Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) during a week 15 regular season football game against the Cleveland Browns at MetLife Stadium on December 20th, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants defensive tackle B.J. Hill (95) takes part in a week 8 regular season game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Sunday October 27th, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan
B.J. Hill (95)
B.J. Hill (95)
B.J. Hill (95)
New York Giants defensive tackle B.J. Hill (95) during a week 15 regular season football game against the Cleveland Browns at MetLife Stadium on December 20th, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants defensive tackle B.J. Hill (95) before a week 6 regular season football game against the Washington Football Team at MetLife Stadium on October 18th, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
B.J. Hill (95)
New York Giants defensive tackle B.J. Hill (95) during a week 6 regular season football game against the Washington Football Team at MetLife Stadium on October 18th, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants defensive tackle B.J. Hill (95) takes part in a week 10 regular season game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday November 10th, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants defensive tackle RJ McIntosh (90) takes part in a week 15 regular season game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on Sunday December 15, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants defensive tackle RJ McIntosh (90) takes part in a week 3 regular season game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday September 22, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
David Moa looks over to the sidelines in the third quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Eugene Tanner)
David Moa and teammates look to the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Hawaii, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, in Boise, Idaho. Boise State won 59-37. (AP Photo/Steve Conner)
David Moa celebrates a sack in the first half of the team's NCAA college football game against BYU on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)
David Moa sacks Colorado State quarterback Patrick O'Brien in the second half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Nov. 29, 2019, in Fort Collins, Colo. Boise State won 31-24. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Top defensive tackles available according to NFL.com (comments from NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal):
Dalvin Tomlinson (No. 22), New York Giants: "If you need a consistent big body to anchor the middle of your defensive line, Tomlinson is a fine choice. Guys with his size and strength inevitably get huge dollars."
DaQuan Jones (No. 56), Tennessee Titans: "The Titans' scheme asked Jones to do a lot that doesn't show up in the box score, and he did it all well."
Larry Ogunjobi (No. 61), Cleveland Browns: "A nice third-round pick by the Browns, Ogunjobi's play seemed to decline as his rookie contract wore on."
Ndamukong Suh (No. 62), Tampa Bay Buccaneers: "Teams will eventually see diminishing returns on these one-year deals for Suh, but it hasn't happened yet."
Sheldon Rankins (No. 67), New Orleans Saints: "The upside here -- his boffo 2018 season -- is significant. Will Rankins be better another year removed from Achilles surgery, or is he just settling in as a useful rotation piece?"
Tyson Alualu (No. 80), Pittsburgh Steelers: "It's pretty rare for a former first-round nose tackle to have his best season at 33 years old, but Alualu made himself some money with the Steelers."
Lawrence Guy (No. 88), New England Patriots: "Being named to the Patriots' All-Decade team of the 2010s -- a decade that included five Super Bowl appearances -- should be worth something!"
Kawann Short (No. 91), Carolina Panthers: "One of the better defensive tackles in football over the last decade is worth a flier after two injury-ravaged seasons."
Al-Quadin Muhammad (No. 96), Indianapolis Colts: "Muhammad can play multiple positions well and still has some upside."
View NFL.com's updated rankings of the top 101 free agents of 2021 ahead of the new league year, which begins March 17.
No. 101 QB Mitchell Trubisky
No. 100 EDGE Everson Griffen
No. 99 DT Al-Quadin Muhammad
No. 98 CB Chidobe Awuzie (Update: The Cincinnati Bengals have reportedly agreed to a deal with Awuzie.)
No. 97 EDGE Kerry Hyder
No. 96 WR Breshad Perriman
No. 95 RB James White
No. 94 DT Kawann Short
No. 93 RB James Conner
No. 92 S Kareem Jackson
No. 91 TE Dan Arnold
No. 90 DT Lawrence Guy
No. 89 WR Emmanuel Sanders
No. 88 CB Troy Hill
No. 87 S Malik Hooker
No. 86 EDGE Takkarist McKinley (The Cleveland Browns have reportedly agreed to a deal with McKinley.)
No. 85 G Kyle Long
No. 84 CB Casey Hayward Jr.
No. 83 CB Quinton Dunbar
No. 82 NT Tyson Alualu Update: The Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed to a deal with Alualu.)
No. 81 DE Derek Wolfe (Update: The Baltimore Ravens have agreed to a three-year deal with Wolfe.)
No. 80 OT Kelvin Beachum (Update: The Arizona Cardinals have agreed to a two-year deal with Beachum).
No. 79 RB Marlon Mack
No. 78 CB Bashaud Breeland
No. 77 QB Tyrod Taylor
No. 76 EDGE Aldon Smith
No. 75 DB Desmond King II
No. 74 OT Alejandro Villanueva
No. 73 RB Duke Johnson
No. 72 TE Gerald Everett
No. 71 OT Riley Reiff
No. 70 S Keanu Neal
No. 69 DT Sheldon Rankins
No. 68 WR Cordarrelle Patterson
No. 67 C Austin Reiter
No. 66 S Xavier Woods
No. 65 LB Kyle Van Noy
No. 64 DT Ndamukong Suh
No. 63 DT Larry Ogunjobi
No. 62 CB Patrick Peterson
No. 61 RB Kenyan Drake
No. 60 CB K'Waun Williams
No. 59 S Jaquiski Tartt
No. 58 NT DaQuan Jones
No. 57 CB Janoris Jenkins
No. 56 WR Antonio Brown
No. 55 QB Jacoby Brissett
No. 54 CB Michael Davis (Update: The Los Angeles Chargers have agreed to a multi-year deal with Davis.)
No. 53 CB Xavier Rhodes
No. 52 WR Sammy Watkins
No. 51 CB Richard Sherman
No. 50 DE Denico Autry
No. 49 WR Marvin Jones (Update: The Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed to a deal with Jones.)
No. 48 WR John Brown
No. 47 CB Malcolm Butler
No. 46 WR Nelson Agholor (Update: The New England Patriots have reportedly agreed to a deal with Agholor.)
No. 45 TE Rob Gronkowski
No. 44 LB K.J. Wright
No. 43 OT Eric Fisher
No. 42 RB Chris Carson
No. 41 EDGE Melvin Ingram
No. 40 CB Mike Hilton (Update: The Cincinnati Bengals have reportedly agreed to a deal with Hilton.)
No. 39 S Anthony Harris
No. 38 C David Andrews
No. 37 QB Andy Dalton
No. 36 CB Adoree' Jackson
No. 35 EDGE Carlos Dunlap
No. 34 WR T.Y. Hilton
No. 33 CB Ronald Darby (Update: The Denver Broncos have reportedly agreed to a deal with Darby.)
No. 32 CB Jason Verrett
No. 31 LB Jayon Brown
No. 30 EDGE Haason Reddick
No. 29 EDGE Justin Houston
No. 28 C Rodney Hudson
No. 27 DE Shelby Harris (Update: The Denver Broncos have agreed to a three-year deal with Harris.)
No. 26 OT Mitchell Schwartz
No. 25 CB William Jackson (Update: The Washington Football Team has agreed to terms with Jackson.)
No. 24 EDGE Leonard Floyd (Update: The Los Angeles Rams have agreed to a four-year deal with Floyd.)
No. 23 S John Johnson (Update: The Cleveland Browns have reportedly agreed to a deal with Johnson.)
No. 22 DL Dalvin Tomlinson (The Minnesota Vikings have agreed to a deal with Tomlinson.)
No. 21 WR Corey Davis (Update: The New York Jets have reportedly agreed to a deal with Davis.)
No. 20 EDGE Romeo Okwara (Update: The Detroit Lions have signed Okwara to a multi-year deal.)
No. 19 QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (Update: The Washington Football Team have reportedly agreed to a deal with Fitzpatrick.)
No. 18 CB Shaquill Griffin (Update: The Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed to a deal with Griffin.)
No. 17 TE Hunter Henry (Update: The New England Patriots have reportedly agreed to a deal with Henry.)
No. 16 TE Jonnu Smith (Update: The New England Patriots have reportedly agreed to a deal with Smith.)
No. 15 WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
No. 14 WR Curtis Samuel
No. 13 QB Jameis Winston (Update: The New Orleans Saints have agreed to a one-year contract with Winston.)
No. 12 WR Will Fuller
No. 11 EDGE Yannick Ngakoue
No. 10 C Corey Linsley
No. 9 EDGE Matt Judon (Update: The New England Patriots have reportedly agreed to a deal with Judon.)
No. 8 G Joe Thuney
No. 7 EDGE Jadeveon Clowney
No. 6 WR Kenny Golladay
No. 5 EDGE Carl Lawson (Update: The New York Jets have reportedly agreed to a deal with Lawson.)
No. 4 EDGE Trey Hendrickson (Update: The Cincinnati Bengals have reportedly agreed to a deal with Hendrickson.)
No. 3 EDGE Bud Dupree
No. 2 EDGE Shaquil Barrett (Update: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed Barrett to a multi-year deal.)
No. 1 OT Trent Williams
Linebackers
Current Depth: Blake Martinez, Tae Crowder, TJ Brunson, Cale Garrett (reserve/future deal)
Pending Free Agents: Devante Downs
Martinez was one of the Giants' big acquisitions last offseason and was a significant reason why Big Blue sported a top 10 scoring defense in 2020. Martinez registered 151 total tackles (86 solo), three sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, nine tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, one interception and five passes defensed while starting all 16 games. Crowder was the final pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, but ended up being far from irrelevant. In 11 games (six starts), Crowder had 57 tackles (43 solo) with a sack and one fumble recovery, which he returned for the game-winning touchdown against Washington. Brunson was another seventh-round pick in last year's draft and saw limited action in five games last season, while Garrett was signed to the practice squad following the conclusion of the season. Downs will hit free agency after starting eight games for the Giants last year.
Top linebackers available according to NFL.com (comments from NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal):
Jayon Brown (No. 30), Tennessee Titans: "Brown just makes plays. After four seasons with Mike Vrabel, the inside linebacker could stay within the extended Bill Belichick coaching tree and land in New England or Miami."
K.J. Wright (No. 42), Seattle Seahawks: "Wright bounced back from an injured 2018 and down 2019 season to show off his incredible instincts in 2020, but the market for an off-ball linebacker who turns 32 in July still may not be to Wright's liking."
Kyle Van Noy (No. 63), Miami Dolphins: "One of the most surprising cuts of the offseason, Van Noy can handle a variety of roles well. The Patriots would probably love to have him back at the right price."
View the team's current depth on the roster at linebacker.
Blake Martinez
Tae Crowder
TJ Brunson (35)
Cale Garrett
New York Giants linebacker Blake Martinez (54) during a week 8 regular season Monday Night football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at MetLife Stadium on November 2nd, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
Blake Martinez (54)
Blake Martinez (54)
Blake Martinez (54)
Blake Martinez (54)
New York Giants linebacker Blake Martinez (54) during a week 3 regular season football game against the San Francisco 49ers at MetLife Stadium on September 27h, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
Blake Martinez (54)
New York Giants linebacker Blake Martinez (54) during a week 1 regular season Monday Night football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at MetLife Stadium on September 13th, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants linebacker Blake Martinez (54) during a week 10 regular season football game against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium on November 15th, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants linebacker Tae Crowder (48) during a week 6 regular season football game against the Washington Football Team at MetLife Stadium on October 18th, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
Tae Crowder (48)
Tae Crowder (48)
Tae Crowder (48)
Tae Crowder (48)
Tae Crowder (48)
New York Giants linebacker Tae Crowder (48) returns a fumble for a touchdown during a week 6 regular season football game against the Washington Football Team at MetLife Stadium onOctober 18th, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
Tae Crowder (48)
Tae Crowder (48)
Tae Crowder (48)
New York Giants linebacker TJ Brunson (35) during a week 17 regular season football game against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on January 3, 2021 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
TJ Brunson (35)
TJ Brunson (35)
New York Giants linebacker T.J. Brunson (35) during a training camp practice at Quest Diagnostics Training Center on Sunday August 16, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
Cale Garrett warms up during NFL football training camp Friday, Aug. 21, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Cale Garrett runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Cale Garrett runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. (AJ Mast via AP Images)
Cale Garrett during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)
Cale Garrett runs to the end zone after an interception during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game against Troy Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)
