Let’s start with who they did sign. GM Jerry Reese strengthened the already stacked defensive line with two free agents: Chris Canty and Rocky Bernard. The Giants signed these two linemen for $7 and $4 million per year, respectively. Canty and Bernard both weigh in at 300+ pounds and will be used to clog up the middle of the field. Canty showed versatility while on the Cowboys, playing as a D-end in their 3-4 scheme. He will be used all over the line, while Bernard will mostly see time as a defensive tackle. Neither of these players have any stats to get too excited about but, as Reese said, overstocking defensive linemen is always a good thing. (Hmmm … I wonder what brought on that philosophy?)

Michael Boley is the real prize of the off-season so far. At 6’3” and a chiseled 233 pounds, Boley is lightening fast and was used primarily as a coverage linebacker in Atlanta. Look for Tom Coughlin and Steve Spagnuolo’s replacement, Bill Sheridan, to utilize Boley’s speed in blitz packages. If Sheridan’s defensive style is anything like Spagnuolo’s (and I assure you it will be), an important part of it is blitzing from unexpected places. Being able to run around offensive linemen will make Boley a great addition as a blitzer, but his speed will also be needed in coverage when the Giants blitz corners – which they do a lot.

Now, on to the more disappointing of the free agent news. Derrick Ward signed a 4-year $17 million deal with Tampa Bay. There were rumors last week that the Giants might offer Ward a deal that would have been worth roughly $3 million per year (the offer from the Bucs is $4+ million, for those of you who didn’t do the math). It would have been great to have Ward back, but I can’t be mad or surprised at this turn of events. He’ll have a more prolific role in Tampa’s offense, especially with that fiasco they have with their quarterbacks. (Good luck trying to run the ball with Luke McCown under center.) I don’t see him having as good a year as he did last year – Ward always struggled when Jacobs wasn’t playing – but I am going to be rooting for him when the Bucs aren’t playing the Giants.

In terms of wide receiver, there are two new tid-bits of info to cover. First, TJ Housha-ma-zilli signed with the Seattle Seahawks for $40 million over 5 years. For the stats that TJ has put up over the last four years, that’s quite a bargain for Seattle. I’m not sure if Hows-ur-mamma will put up those same kinds of numbers without Chad ‘Ocho Cinco’ lining up with him, but he will definitely have a season well worth that $8 million per year. I was surprised that the Giants did not make an offer to him, being that they need a stud wideout and Housh was the best one on the market.

In a related story, Jerry Reese was quoted today saying that Plaxico Burress is still a Giant and would be welcomed back to the team if his behavioral issues are behind him. Honestly, I don’t know what to think of this. A part of me wants to just dump Burress for the selfish way he contributed to the demise of a great season for the G-Men last year. At the same time, I don’t think Reese or Coughlin would allow Burress to come back unless they were sure that he was 100% committed to the team. Then again, with Houshmalala off the market, there aren’t any star-caliber receivers to replace Burress left in free agency, so the Giants options are very limited.

Rumor Central: There has been a rumor swirling around sports radio/blogs about a potential trade that would send Mathias Kiwanuka to the Browns in exchange for Braylon Edwards. Although neither team has officially shown interest in this deal, the Giants recent free agent signings support the rumor. Could Reese be stacking defensive linemen because he is shopping the versatile defensive end/linebacker? I’m not a fan of Edwards’ because he de-story-ed my fantasy team last season, but this is defiantly an interesting scenario.

If you want to stay up to date with all of the Giants’ offseason news, get on Twitter and follow @gearupforsports and @joeyoc1021.