Edelman, 27, is still "pondering his options,"??according to reports, as New York was his first stop in free agency.

All signs point to Edelman as an insurance policy should the Giants be unable to sign restricted free agent Victor Cruz before the April 19 deadline.

https://twitter.com/JasonLaCanfora/status/319554206249918464

Hixon played in 57 games for the Giants, with six touchdown catches. He had 101 catches for 1,400 yards in four years with the Giants. From Rotoworld:

It is the first visit we've heard of for Hixon since he turned down an offer from the Lions at the start of free agency.

Oakland must find a way to replace former first-round pick Darrius Heyward-Bey, who is a free agent in this off-season. Hixon can not only help out a young receiving corps, but has the ability to return both punts and kicks.

The team has added placekicker Josh Brown, linebacker Dan Connor, defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins, safety Ryan Mundy, wide receiver Louis Murphy, tight end Brandon Myers and cornerback Aaron Ross.

In addition, tackle Will Beatty,?guard Keith Boothe,?quarterback David Carr, linebacker Keith Rivers and?defensive tackle Shaun Rodgers have all re-upped with the team.

https://twitter.com/MikeGarafolo/status/311584062248722432

From Rotoworld: Detroit made Hixon an offer he can refuse. That could change as early as Wednesday, but the Lions shouldn't be Hixon's only suitor. He's just unlikely to get the money he's looking for. Hixon would be a nice addition to the Lions' terrible receiver corps.

Yet that duo is in some jeopardy, with Nicks recovering from injury and Cruz?s contract status up in the air.

But all signs point to the Giants working out a deal with Cruz and Nicks being fully ready to go for the 2013 season.

Now that the season is over for New York, statistics are final and contract negotiations can resume.

"It got tabled for a couple weeks, mainly because of the two sides agreeing to disagree at the same time," Cruz said on WFAN Radio "Now that the season's over and the statistics are what they are, I think we're going to get back and pick up the pen again and see what we can do."

But in the Giants? 34-0 loss to the Falcons, the offensive line is just as much to blame as any other facet of the team?s pitiful performance.

This was the first time the Giants have been shutout in a regular season game since Dec. 1, 1996 against the Philadelphia Eagles ? a streak of 256 games.

Here's a sampling of what I wrote ...

The big issue last night: penalties.

It?s easy to overlook Domenik Hixon. As far as Giants receivers go, Hakeem Nicks and?Victor Cruz?are the stars.Ramses Barden?is the huge guy with obvious potential.?Rueben Randle?is the future.

Hixon is a veteran who?s been diminished by consecutive season-ending ACL injuries, and he has no obvious calling card. He?s just a solid player who knows where to go and what to do. Fans appreciate the idea of these competent steady eddies, but not enough that they don?t want Barden and Randle to surpass Hixon on the depth chart as soon as possible.

Sure he's not the biggest or fastest receiver in the NFL. But he may be one of the most clutch players in all of football. QB Eli Manning trusts him and so do the coaches. When he makes plays like he did yesterday (watch the highlights) he just adds another dimension to the Giants' offense. He rarely makes mistakes and is always where he should be on the field. His forte believe it or not, is special teams, but the Giants want to keep him out of harm's way as much as possible, so he is no longer employed there (for now).

After missing nearly two years due to a freak knee injury, Hixon is back at full capacity and a key component in the offense. He's a lunchpail guy along the lines of David Tyree. They don't know their stats, they don't care about where they play or how much. All they do is come in and beat you. And those are the best guys to have.

Here's who did not participate in practice:

Martellus Bennett?(knee),?Rocky Bernard?(quadriceps),?Chase Blackburn?(hip),?Andre Brown?(concussion), Hakeem Nicks?(foot, knee),?Kenny Phillips (knee),?Corey Webster?(hand, hamstring).

The highlights include Eli Manning's three touchdown passes, despite the absence of top receiver Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden. Victor Cruz shined, and Reuben Randle and Domenik Hixon proved to be worthy replacements.

Ahmad Bradshaw enjoyed a career afternoon with a 200-yard effort. And filling in for the concussed Andre Brown, David Wilson scored his first NFL touchdown.

Start: Domenik Hixon

Hixon has been a popular name this week on many waiver wire pickups or sleeper starts, but it?s definitely warranted.

Eli Manning has thrown for the second-highest yardage total in the league, only behind Drew Brees, and his touchdown total (7) is tied with the likes of Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.

Overall, Big Blue owns the seventh-ranked offense in the league, averaging 411 yards and 28 points per game.

All of a sudden, an area that was the Giants strength will rely on contributions from a medley of different receivers.

Victor Cruz is a given. After a few timely drops Week 1, he?s bounced back to show that last season was no fluke. However, if the Browns or any other opposing defense focuses on limiting Cruz, Eli Manning will need his other targets to step up.

The reality of it is Nicks' status was already shaky, given that head coach Tom Coughlin stated earlier in the week he did not believe the top wideout's knee was improving.

Barden's concussion is an even worse sign. He caught just two balls for 36 yards in Sunday's loss to Philadelphia, but had a career performance in Week 3 against Carolina.

The Eagles? 19-17 win last night said more about the Eagles than it did the Giants. Entering the contest, it felt like the much-maligned Eagles were winless when in fact they were 2-1 with a victory over the Baltimore Ravens in their back pocket.

A win is a win, and that?s how Philly survived Baltimore and Cleveland. A lopsided defeat at the hands of Arizona, however, stirred up the questions surrounding the Eagles.

The much-maligned Philadelphia Eagles entered Sunday night?s game 2-1, but it was their escapes against Cleveland and Baltimore in Weeks 1 and 2 and their failure to show up in Arizona that left a cloud of doubt hovering over them.

Of course, the Giants knew they would get their best effort in primetime Sunday.

Here is the rest of the report:

Probables:?Running back Ahmad Bradshaw (neck). Wide receiver Domenik Hixon (concussion). Cornerback Corey Webster (hand). Defensive end Adewale Ojomo (hamstring).

With the season opener against the Cowboys a little bit more than a month away, there will plenty of storylines and position battles to watch as the Giants open up camp in Albany.

There will be a few players with something to prove. That being said, here are five Giants in need of good training camp.

Rookie CB Jayron Hosley has the potential to beat out Domenik Hixon and Jerrel Jernigan for the Giants' punt return duties this season. At Virginia Tech, Hosley averaged 12 yards per attempt and had TDs of 64 and 80 yards.

Most position battles are relatively meaningless developments until late July, when training camps begin and players focus on preparing for the upcoming season. Coaches deliberating position competitions usually consider each players? entire body of work?career production, minicamp performance, injury history, work ethic, physical attributes, potential for growth?but the decision ultimately rests on a given players? level of preparedness heading into week 1. Whichever player best exhibits the qualities needed at his position to help his team win when the regular season begins should get the nod over his competitors. It?s pretty simple. These predicaments exist on most every NFL roster and they are for the most part altogether good problems to have. Multiple players fighting for a single spot leads to intense competition, the kind that brings out the best and most consistent effort in each competitor. Even defending Super Bowl champions need to resolve these sorts of issues, and the 2012 Giants are no exception.

The Giants re-signed WR Domenik Hixon today to an undisclosed deal as they attempt to fill in as much of their 2012 roster as they can before free agency begins.

Hixon missed all of 2010 with torn knee ligaments sustained in a freak incident during the team's first fan fest at MetLife Stadium. Last year, Hixon's season was cut short after he reinsured the knee making a circus TD catch vs St. Louis in Week Two.

The injury came on Hixon's TD grab on Monday night where he bobbled and then reeled in an Eli Manning bullet.

as per our Giants Insider Mike Garafolo of the Star Ledger:

-The Giants have depth issues. That isn?t news. And what will either be their key to victory or undoing this year, just may be the stockpile they have at DE. They have an A+ in that area, but Bs and Cs in others. But it is quite impressive that the 4th DE slot on the depth chart has remained a constant since mid-2007. Dave Tollefson deserves a tip of the cap.

Ranking Eli's best weapons:

1. WR - Hakeem Nicks - The 2009 1st round draft pick has come as advertised.? One could say he has been sniffing around pro bowl status during his two years in the NFL.? Nicks is 6' 1" and 215 lbs and his game is very similar to Michael Irvin the former Dallas Cowboy and now Hall of Fame inductee.

Domenik Hixon is known for many things. He is the guy who got his knee torn up by the virgin turf during the first practice at the New Meadowlands Stadium causing him to miss the entire season. He is also known as the other party in the career-ending collision that nearly paralyzed Buffalo Bills TE Kevin Everett in 2007. Hixon was also the player the Giants turned to after Plaxico Burress shot himself in 2008.

To Giant fans, Hixon is their everyman: the guy who does the dirty jobs no one wants to do. Last night, we saw once again Hixon's value. In an offseason where NFL fans are focused primarily on who teams are bringing in, Giant fans realized they might be a better team because of who they are getting back.

So, this will be a good time to try and squash all of the negative energy and see what this team is made of. There is sure to be a lot of rust, as there should with any post-lockout preseason game.

With that said, here are five things to look for tonight.

Let?s state the obvious. Eli Manning is the starter. Continuing with the obvious theme, Manning needs to improve.

I don?t want to hear one more excuse about the players around him, injuries, or any other outside factor. He is supposedly the chosen one, the franchise symbol. Yes, many of his interceptions last season bounced off receiver?s hands. Yes the run game bottomed out at times in 2009. Yes, two seasons ago he surpassed 4,000 yards in the air. It doesn?t matter. He?s being paid to be a leader. If a receiver can?t catch, teach him how. If a member of your offense is obnoxious and overbearing in the huddle/locker room, handle it.

First let?s talk Burress. I didn?t see him coming back to the Giants and quite frankly I was utterly stunned that he planned a visit. We all know how that ended and the former Super Bowl hero is trading in his blue jersey for a ?Sexy Rexy? T-shirt.

All this does is validate the concerns I had been airing (against much opposition) over the past few months. Steve Smith is not healthy. He is not ready to start the season and likely will start the season on PUP (meaning he is ineligible to play until after WEEK 6).

But with a return to football comes an abrupt and intensely condensed free agency period. For the Giants, many current players (on the roster in 2010) are not far from certain to return. TE Kevin Boss and HB Ahmad Bradshaw should be relatively easy to woo back into a blue jersey whenever signings are sanctioned. Equally likely is the departure of veteran DT Barry Cofield. Cofield?s talent is certainly welcome, but his price tag may just be deemed expendable due to the arrival of rookie Marvin Austin.

A handful of expected, and likely unexpected, free agent targets from other organizations are sure to hear from Jerry Reese shortly. One or more of these targets could very likely be a wide receiver.

The rash of injuries at the receiver position in 2010 forced the Giants to bring in an almost entirely new rotation by season?s end. By January, the team had added 3 new receivers that weren?t on the roster on opening day. Two of which (Devin Thomas and Michael Clayton) were not on the roster during training camp. Add them and newly drafted WR Jerrel Jernigan to last year?s contenders and the Giants receiving corps is suddenly more crowded and complicated than ever.

So let?s compound the problem. It was during this week last year that I wrote an article discussing the limbo that Domenik Hixon found himself in. The agile and deceptively fast receiver was lost for the entire season thanks to a non-contact injury on brand new turf. He would have been a solid #2 option on many other squads in 2010. Had he been healthy, he would have been relegated to 4th string duty with the Giants as a result of their considerable depth at the position.

Duke Calhoun, Michael Clayton, Derek Hagan, Jerrel Jernigan, Mario Manningham, Hakeem Nicks, Devin Thomas, Ramses Barden, Victor Cruz, Domenik Hixon, Steve Smith, Travis Beckum

Yes, I am aware that Travis Beckum was drafted as a tight end/H-back, but the Giants don?t use the H-back and he can?t cut it as a tight end.? At this point, his best shot to make the team is as a slot receiver.

Kordell Stewart...I mean Jerrel Jernigan wider receiver from Troy.?? Really?

The Associated Press announced that the New York Giants have filled their need a wide receiver with standout Jerrel Jernigan.? Need?

Of these 21 players, several are key contributors. TE Kevin Boss is among the players in limbo. Boss is ultimately expected to stay in New York. HB Ahmad Bradshaw, who racked up over a 1,000 yards in 2010 has been told that he is a top priority when negotiations can finally start and thus is expected to remain a Giant as well.

There are three Giants, however, whose futures are less certain. Two of these players could directly affect the other?s future, while the third will need to battle back from a devastating injury.

One of the most glaring aspects gone missing was the play of the team's everyman, WR Domenik Hixon, who held four different jobs.

OutHC Tom Coughlin: While ragging on Coughlin has been an overused go-to option for writers and pundits league wide lately, the blade is swinging ever closer to his neck after yesterday?s loss. There is an argument for keeping him of course. His tenure thus far in New York has been an upgrade from a bleak stretch of time in the team?s history that spanned from 1992 through 2003. After a rebuilding period in 2004, Coughlin fielded an overall competitive squad from 2005 through 2008 and obviously brought New York an impressive Super Bowl win. But things have not been quite the same for the Giants since jumping out to an 11-1 start in 2008. Following up a Super Bowl run with 3 months of utterly dominant football, the Giants stumbled at home against Philadelphia that season and ultimately lost to the Eagles again in their first appearance of the playoffs. 2009 saw a 5-0 start turn into a 3-5 finish and 2010 saw a historical single game collapse, an unspeakable rash of turnovers, and an overall failure to execute on special teams. Coughlin, who is historically quite reliable when it comes to challenges, blew the Giants final challenge of yesterday?s game on an obvious unfavorable ruling and thus was unable to protest against at a late Eli interception on a key drive that was clearly caught out of bounds.

Though Kiwanuka would have been a welcome addition to the Super Bowl run, there was little doubt he would return for the '08 campaign. This time around, things are not as certain. Kiwanuka is not under contract for the 2011 season and even if he was, he is? dealing with a potentially career ending injury.

With the success that the Giants defense has enjoyed without Kiwanuka, and the steady emergence of young Jason Pierre-Paul, the Giants may not be in the market for the ailing DE's services next year.

Pain in Neck: The biggest blow to the team is loosing Mathias Kiwanuka with a bulging disc in his neck.? After practice earlier this week, Kiwi underwent a CAT scan were he was diagnosed with a bulging cervical disc.?? He is out for a undetermined period of time time.? The versatile? Kiwanuka leads the team with 4 sacks and has had major success from the defensive line and linebacker position in this new Fewell system.

Bum Ankle: The anchor of the offensive line, Shaun O'Hara is still shut down as the Giants try desperately to get him healthy.? Adam Koates takes his place; however his on presence is greatly missed on the field and the in locker room.

Kehl has the look of a prototypical linebacker. A standout in BYU?s 3-4 scheme as an outside pass rusher, he has yet to break through as an NFL player. It can be argued that Kehl?s raw talent was hampered by his landing spot come draft day. Of all the 4-3 defenses to be brought into, the Giants were the worst fit.

It is no secret that the Giants have been carrying at least four top level defensive ends since the 2007 campaign. This year the total grew to five with the addition of Jason Pierre-Paul. For a mid-level draft pick striving to see the field, the opportunities were slim. When other defenses might have dialed up a rush from an extra linebacker, the Giants simply placed another DE in the spot.

It May Finally Happen.

Several teams, such as the Carolina Panthers, opt to utilize the talent of starting caliber players on special teams. The Giants choose not to but have enjoyed a rare treat in Hixon over the past 3 seasons. Hixon is skilled enough to start as either a returner or a receiver but was stuck in depth chart limbo at 4th option.

Strahan: Tuck Should Takes Reins As Giants' Leader

"At some point somebody has to stand up and be vocal and not worry about hurting feelings, only worry about getting results and maintaining respect from the guys," Strahan yesterday told The Post. "That's what a leader does. They have to find somebody."

Strahan suspects he already knows the perfect candidate.