The New York Giants opened the free agency period with precious few resources thanks in large part to a near-$17 million franchise tag used on defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul.

Despite that, general manager Jerry Reese has gone out and signed players like wide receiver Brandon Marshall, tight end Rhett Ellison and offensive lineman D.J. Fluker.

In addition to those added contracts, the Giants have also tendered defensive end Kerry Wynn, re-signed long snapper Zak DeOssie and running back Orleans Darkwa, and handed out a slew of reserve/futures deals.

As a result of all these moves, the Giants now have roughly $5 million in remaining availability under the cap, which is dead last in the NFL.

Counting the signing of D.J. Fluker, nobody currently has less salary cap space than #Giants. They have approximately $5M available vs. cap — Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) March 13, 2017

Of course, as dire as this may seem, the Giants could still come about additional cap space in a number of ways.

Running back Shane Vereen, wide receiver Dwayne Harris and linebacker J.T. Thomas are all options for a contract restructure, pay cut or outright release. Each could potentially save the Giants between $1 – $3 million in salary cap space.

Additionally, if the Giants were able to hammer out a long-term deal with Pierre-Paul, that would likely go a long way in saving them some additional funds. There’s next to no chance his first-year cap hit would be near $17 million, which is where it currently sits, guaranteed, under the franchise tag.

Other potential options for the Giants, although far less likely, include shuffling some money around on the contracts of quarterback Eli Manning, defensive end Olivier Vernon or defensive tackle Damon Harrison.

Either way, as dire as the situation seems, the Giants do still have a few hands they are capable of playing. And should they need to free up addition space, they’ll have ability to do so.