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The New York Giants upset the Tennessee Titans, 21-20, on Sunday and here are the winners and losers (and those in between) from the game.
The New York Giants pulled off the unthinkable, upsetting the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Week 1.
The Titans stormed out to a 13-0 lead and looked like they would win going away, but halftime adjustments and high-risk, high-reward calls ultimately led to a thrilling comeback.
For the Giants, it was their first opening weekend win since 2016 and just their second opening weekend win in 13 years.
Here’s a look at the winners, losers and those in between from a thrilling Sunday victory.
The New York Giants lead the NFL in positional spend at wide receiver, dropping $42 million on the unit this season (to date).
One of the reasons the New York Giants’ salary cap was so out of whack when new general manager Joe Schoen took over earlier this year, was because of the high salaries they are paying their wide receivers.
The Giants are playing their wideouts $42 million in 2022, the highest amount in the NFL.
Most expensive WR groups in 2022#Giants – $42M#Chargers – $40.2M#Patriots – $38.7M#Jaguars – $33.7M#Commanders – $31.2M
Least expensive…#Bears – $15.6M#Falcons – $15.2M#Browns – $13.5M#Colts – $13.3M#Ravens $11.0M
— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) August 16, 2022
This would be acceptable if they were getting a bang for their buck, but that is far from the case. The Giants are paying 14 players a total of $42.4 million led by Kenny Golladay, whose $21.1 million cap hit accounts for half of that number.
Golladay is followed by Sterling Shepard at $6.3 million, Kadarius Toney ($3.1 million) and Darius Slayton ($2.6 million), rookie Wan’Dale Robinson ($1.4 million) and Richie James ($1.06 million).
Last year, the Giants’ top three receivers were tight end Evan Engram (46 receptions) and running backs Saquon Barley and Devontae Booker with 41 and 40 catches, respectively. Engram and Booker are no longer with the Giants.
Golladay, Shepard, Toney and Slayton combined for just 29 starts, 138 receptions, 1,646 yards and only three touchdowns in 2021.
Most of the other Giants’ units are ranked among the league’s lowest salary cap-wide. The Giants’ defensive line is ranked sixth in the NFL and the highest-paid unit on the roster at over $48 million.
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After missing the 2021 season due to injury, New York Giants WR Richie James Jr. is showing he’s still got plenty left in the tank.
Free agent wide receiver/kick returner Richie James is currently attempting to resume his NFL career with the New York Giants this summer.
So far, he’s stood out in practice and now the former San Francisco 49ers’ seventh round draft pick is making his case in game play.
On Thursday night in the Giants’ 23-21 preseason victory over the Patriots in New England, James caught three passes for 44 yards, including a seven-year touchdown pass from Tyrod Taylor and another that caromed off the hands of teammate Collin Johnson.
“It was just one of those plays where the quarterback had trust in Collin, and he threw the ball to Collin. Stuff happens on the football field all the time, and I was just there to save the day,” James told reporters. “The ball is in the air, it’s your ball and nobody else’s ball.”
James is returning to action after missing all of last year with a knee injury. The Giants signed James as a free agent to compete for a spot on both offense and special teams.
James did not return any kicks on Thursday night although he’s not against doing it.
“It was just one of those things where the depth chart was the depth chart, and you just follow that depth chart. If they want to throw me back there, I would’ve been cool with it, too,” he said.
Rookie running back Jashaun Corbin was the Giants’ kick returner while C.J. Board and Alex Bachman served as the punt returners.
James is under no illusions that a job is owed to him in this league. He intends to give it his best shot. In 2020, James showed promise in a limited role with the Niners.
“I haven’t played football in a year,” James said. “It’s one of those things where they want to see if I can still do what I’ve done before. But it’s also one of those things where we’re in the league where it’s, ‘What can you do for me now?’”
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Here are the winners, losers and those in between from the New York Giants’ preseason Week 1 victory over the New England Patriots.
The New York Giants opened up their 2022 preseason schedule with a jaunt up I-95 to New England to face the Patriots.
The Pats did not dress any of their starters in this game while the Giants decided to take a different approach.
Here’s some early winners and losers from Thursday’s 23-21 victory.
The New York Giants opened the preseason with a 23-21 victory over Bill Belichick, Joe Judge and the New England Patriots.
The New York Giants opened their preseason slate against the New England Patriots on Thursday night at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Starters played just two series before giving way to the second-team, who stayed in the game through halftime. At that point, the third-team and deep reserves came in to attempt to cement a role for themselves.
There were the typical ups and downs from a first preseason game on both sides but ultimately, the did enough to secure the win.
Day 2 of New York Giants training camp practice has come and gone, so here are 10 quick takeaways.
After a successful first day of training camp practice on Wednesday, the New York Giants were back at it again on Thursday. This time, they focused on areas outside of the red zone (although red zone drills were again included).
Head coach Brian Daboll met with reporters before practice started and then it was off to the races.
Here’s a look at 10 quick takeaways from Day 2 of training camp practice.
The New York Giants have a deep and talented group of wide receivers but there are still many questions and concerns.
The New York Giants wide receivers group is currently a huge question mark at the moment. Injuries, inconsistency and a poor offensive game plan plagued the unit lat season.
This year, with a new approach on offense under first-year head coach Brian Daboll and coordinator Mike Kafka, the air is said to be clear again to throw the football.
The unit has a new position coach in Mike Groh, who will try to marshal up this once promising group.
Here is a quick preview heading into training camp.
As the official start to training camp looms, here’s a look at the seven New York Giants who stand to gain the most.
New York Giants rookies and select veterans will report for training camp on Tuesday, July 19. The remainder of the team will report on Tuesday, July 26 with the first practice getting underway on Wednesday, July 27.
It may be hard to believe but football season is just around the bend.
With the start of Giants camp now just a week away, here’s a quick look at seven players who stand the most to gain.
A look at the three most intriguing and under-the-radar players on the New York Giants’ offensive roster.
The New York Giants are undergoing a roster overhaul this season with tons of changes on both sides of the ball. They have brought in a slew of players that have gotten little press coverage this spring.
Here are three names on the offense that intrigue heading into training camp.
The New York Giants have agreed to terms with former San Francisco 49ers WR Richie James Jr.
The New York Giants have very little salary cap space remaining, but that hasn’t stopped them from addressing the back-end of their roster.
On Friday, the team agreed to terms with wide receiver and return specialist Richie James Jr.
The #Giants agreed to terms with former #49ers WR/returner Richie James Jr. on a one-year deal, source says. Former seventh-round pick missed last season with a knee injury after grabbing a career-high 23 catches in 2020.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 25, 2022
The 26-year-old James Jr. was a seventh-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in the 2018 NFL draft. He spent his entire career in San Fran before being waived/injured following knee surgery last August.
In 40 career games (10 starts), James Jr. has hauled in 38 receptions for 689 yards and three touchdowns. He’s also returned 51 punts for 373 yards and 47 kickoffs for 1,081 yards and one additional touchdown.
Giants fans may be familiar with James Jr. because of his career-best performance in Week 9 of the 2020 regular season. He recorded nine receptions for 184 yards and one touchdown in a Thursday night loss to the Green Bay Packers.
James Jr. is expected to sign a deal near the veteran minimum.
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