The New York Giants are already being written off this year by oddsmakers and geniuses before they — or any team — have had a chance to convene for a single practice. But some astute insiders believe the Giants could be a surprise team this season.
The Giants have a lot of firepower on offense and their success will rely on the maturation of second-year quarterback Daniel Jones (which basically means him cutting down on his turnovers) and the continued brilliance of running back Saquon Barkley.
With a new offensive coordinator in Jason Garrett and a revamped offensive line thanks to three promising draft picks (tackles Andrew Thomas and Matt Peart; center/guard Shane Lemieux) and an adroit free agent signing in swing tackle Cam Fleming, the Giants should easily improve their points-per-game output.
The one glaring need that the Giants didn’t address this offseason was to secure a No. 1 wide receiver, but that may not matter because their existing WR group is chock full of very good players: Golden Tate, Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, Cody Core, Corey Coleman, Alex Bachman, Da’Mari Scott, David Sills and undrafted free agents Austin Mack, Binjimen Victor and Derrick Dillon.
ESPN’s Giants beat writer Jordan Raanan spoke with an NFL executive who believes Big Blue will be good enough to get the job done.
The Giants might not have a clear-cut No. 1, but there are three legitimate options with Tate, Shepard and Slayton.
“You would think if they stay healthy, that’s a pretty good top three,” the executive said.
The Giants didn’t play a single snap last season with all of their top playmakers (Tate, Shepard, Barkley and Evan Engram), so depth is key. Core is viewed as a capable reserve with special-teams value, and Coleman has talent if he can rebound from injury. The executive is high on Mack and believes he has a chance to stick as an undrafted free agent.
“A lot of teams will be hard-pressed to match that top three. You would think last year wouldn’t repeat itself [with injuries and suspension]. It’s definitely a better receiving group than a lot of teams have,” he said.
The main need the executive pointed out was the failure to add a top-notch pass rusher. The Giants signed Green Bay’s Kyler Fackrell to replace Markus Golden, but the Giants tendered Golden earlier this month which could lead to his return.
Currently, the Giants have their hopes pinned on Fackrell, Lorenzo Carter, Oshane Ximines and a slew of unproven rookies and journeymen. Raanan sees the door for Golden, who led the Giants with 10 sacks last season, still very much open.
It’s possible Golden returns. The executive doesn’t see anyone paying him more than the Giants, who need him. The belief is they will lean on scheme to generate pass rush. The executive views Fackrell, Ximines, Carter and (rookie Carter) Coughlin as “solid, capable players in depth-level roles” and Golden as a No. 2 pass-rusher.
“They just don’t have a [No. 1] guy for those guys to play off of.”
That is very true. The Giants do not have a ton of salary cap space to play with at the moment ($16.4 million with the majority of their draft class still unsigned) and not many pass rushers to grab on the cheap still available on the market.
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