Giants Rumors: Clady, Flowers, Beatty, Powers

Though the Giants did express some interest in left tackle Ryan Clady before he was shipped from the Broncos to the Jets, talks never became serious because of the draft pick compensation required, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. The Jets ultimately swapped a fifth-round pick for Clady and a seventh-rounder, a price that was apparently too steep for the Giants. Big Blue may have had more definitive interest in Clady had he been released by Denver, per Raanan.

Let’s take a look at a few more Giants note, all courtesy of Raanan…

• Another barrier to Clady joining the Giants was the presence of Ereck Flowers, whom New York wants to keep at left tackle, writes Raanan. However, the club still wants to add depth along the offensive line, so they could spend a mid-round pick on a tackle to compete with Marshall Newhouse and Bobby Hart on the right side.
• One offensive line option who likely won’t be considered is tackle Will Beatty, whom the Giants released in early March. Though Raanan reports that Beatty, who tore his pectoral muscle and missed the entire 2015 season, is expected to be near full strength before the summer, both the Giants and Beatty have decided to move in different directions.
• Former Cardinals cornerback Jerraud Powers visited the Giants at the tail end of March, and the club is thought to have made an offer worth roughly $2MM, according to Raanan. Powers is said to be looking for more money, so while he remains an option for the New York, no signing appears to be imminent.
• Free agent linebacker Kelvin Sheppard announced this morning that he would be signing with the Giants, and Raanan confirms that Sheppard is expected to be with the team on Monday. Sheppard wasn’t the only linebacker on New York’s radar, per Rannan, who says the club also had interest in Nate Stupar before he joined the Saints.