For years, Cowboys defensive end Anthony Spencer was a guy the Giants always had trouble blocking. Whether it was getting into their backfield or putting pressure on Eli Manning, Spencer made life difficult for the Giants’ offensive linemen.
That success is one of the reasons why Spencer arrived in town today and will have a free agent visit on Monday. Sure, it’s the weekend but the Giants are keeping busy, as cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will also be in the building. Earlier in the weekend the Giants came to contract agreements with cornerback Walter Thurmond and safety Quintin Demps as the reshaping of their defense continues.
The Giants will need to do some thorough physical workups for Spencer, 30, who played in only one game in 2013 for the Cowboys before undergoing microfracture surgery on his left knee. That type of procedure often leaves players in a diminished state. Spencer, hit with the franchise tag by the Cowboys in back-to-back years, was coming off his best season when he had 11 sacks in 14 games in 2012. Spencer’s seven years with the Cowboys was spent as a 3-4 defensive end and how his skills translate to a 4-3 end is part of the evaluation process.
With Justin Tuck now a former Giant, having signed a two-year deal with the Raiders, the depth at defensive tackle is suspect. Jason Pierre-Paul, coming off a season slowed by back surgery and a shoulder injury, returns, as does Mathias Kiwanuka. In reserve, the Giants have Damontre Moore, who supposedly has great pass-rush potential but was a non-factor as a rookie.
Spencer, the Cowboys’ 2007 first-round draft pick, previously visited with the Redskins, who opted to sign another Cowboys defensive lineman, Jason Hatcher, to a four-year, $27.5 million contract.