Giants notes: New GM Joe Schoen talks about staffing, Saquon Barkley, the offensive line and more

Joe Schoen went to Buffalo as the assistant general manager and right-hand man to Brandon Beane. It stands to reason that he’ll bring his own number two in to join him with the Giants at some point.

"I’m not going to rule that out," Schoen said on Wednesday. "I’m still trying to get to know the personnel staff right now and implementing our process and how we are going to do things… I’m going to evaluate the staff first and then make a decision."

Some candidates for that role could include Titans vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden, Panthers senior personnel executive Jeff Morrow, Bills senior personnel advisor Brian Gaine, Seahawks senior executive advisor to the general manager Alonzo Highsmith and Panthers assistant general manager Dan Morgan.

For now, though, Kevin Abrams remains the team’s assistant general manager. He may stay on in the same capacity or have a new title by the time Schoen is done reconfiguring the front office. Abrams has been in charge of the team’s contract negotiations and salary cap for many years, and Schoen said he has already met with Abrams about the Giants being over the cap for the 2022 season.

"We looked at it, we’re going to get together at the end of the week or first of next week to start formulating a plan, but we’re going to have to get below the salary cap," Schoen said. "Obviously, we’re going to have to clear some money… There are going to be difficult decisions that are going to have to be made."

For the players and the front office personnel.

Schoen insisted that all of them will be given an opportunity to prove themselves.

"If you haven’t had success around here, I don’t think it’s necessarily because of some of the people in the building," Schoen said. "Maybe it’s the process. They’re not the final decision-makers. Everybody’s going to be evaluated. I don’t think you have to make wholesale changes… I don’t think you have to come in and just change everything. It’s about implementing my process and how we want to do things.

"If you work really hard, you’re a good person and you’re a good teammate, I can work with you all day."

Schoen and Saquon speak

Schoen said he met with Saquon Barkley in the locker room on Tuesday. He had a "good talk" with the running back whose career with the Giants essentially mirrored the trajectory of former GM Dave Gettleman, who selected him second overall -- the same year Schoen and the Bills took Josh Allen seventh. Barkley started out great, but injuries saw his production fizzle over the past three years.

Now Barkley is heading into the fifth and final year on his rookie contract, and Schoen will be the guy who decides if the Giants keep him beyond that… and at what cost.

"I’m excited about Saquon," Schoen said. "When he came out he was a rare talent. I know he’s had some injuries and that comes with that position, but we talked a little about where we may need to upgrade and I think if you upgrade the offensive line that’s going to help Daniel [Jones] and it’s going to help Saquon."

Schoen's simple solution for OL

As for that offensive line, its rebuild will be, as it has been for most of the past decade, one of the priorities for Schoen. His solution was as simple as it was straightforward.

"You have to get better players," Schoen said. "That’s the best way to fix it. I know they’ve had some injuries and that’s oversimplifying it, but we have to look wherever we can whether it’s free agency where we probably won’t have a lot of resources, but that’s where the pro [personnel] department makes their money. Or whether it’s VSB deals (veteran salary benefit) or finding guys through the draft. And whoever the offensive line coach is, it would help if they have a proven track record of developing players. We’re going to have to find a way. That’s what we’re here for. We have to find solutions."

Prepped for draft prep

The Giants have nine picks in the upcoming draft, including two early first-rounders. Schoen said he had already been working on developing the draft board for the Bills as assistant general manager when he got the job with the Giants, and he will bring that information with him.

"Fortunately, I was able to get on the road quite a bit this year," he said. "In Buffalo, I’d already seen rounds one through four on our board, so I’m at a good spot on the college draft."

That includes quarterbacks, even though Buffalo certainly wasn’t going to be drafting one in the first few rounds this year.

"You never know when these opportunities are going to come so I did see most of the quarterbacks who are in this draft live at some point this year," he said. "I do have working knowledge of most of those guys."

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.