Quarterback
The Giants were a surprise playoff qualifier a year ago, securing a wild card spot with a 9-7-1 record after most expected them to finish below .500 for the 6th straight season, but they benefited from an easy schedule, going just 2-6 in the regular season against playoff qualifiers and winning 8 of their 9 games by 8 points or fewer, giving them a -6 point differential and a DVOA that ranked 21st in the NFL. The Giants did win a playoff game, but they benefited from facing an even worse playoff qualifier in the Minnesota Vikings, who entered the post-season 21st in DVOA, and then the Giants were subsequently blown out in the second round against a tougher opponent in the Philadelphia Eagles, who won their playoff matchup by 31, after previously beating the Giants by 26 in the only meaningful regular season matchup between the two teams.
The Giants are unlikely to have as easy of a schedule or as good of a record in close games as they did a year ago, so if they want to make it back to the post-season, let alone go on a long post-season run, they had to get better this off-season. Fortunately, there was plenty of opportunity to do that, with the Giants entering the off-season with among the most cap space in the league and having a roster that largely overachieved its talent level last season, thanks to great coaching in Brian Daboll’s first year on the job, and that, as a result, had a lot of room for improvement this off-season.
Unfortunately, even with as much cap space as the Giants had this off-season, they weren’t able to make a ton of additions to this team because they committed a huge contract to keep quarterback Daniel Jones, guaranteeing him 82 million over the next two seasons and paying him up to 160 million over the next 4 seasons, making him the 9th highest paid quarterback in the league in terms of average annual salary. Jones was the 6th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and has always had upside, but that is a steep increase for a player whose 5th year option, which would have paid him just 22.384 million in 2023, was declined before last season because the Giants felt he wasn’t worth it.
Jones wasn’t bad in his first three seasons in the league, earning grades of 65.5, 78.4, and 71.1 from PFF, but poor coaching and a lack of a supporting cast led to him completing just 62.8% of his passes for an average of 6.62 YPA, 45 touchdowns, and 29 interceptions in 37 starts, while rushing for 5.81 YPC and 5 touchdowns on 172 carries, and durability was always an issue for him, missing at least two starts in each of those three seasons. In 2022, Jones got better coaching, marginally better play from his supporting cast, and probably most importantly stayed healthy, starting all 16 of the Giants’ meaningful games last season, but he still only ranked 17th among quarterbacks on PFF with a 76.0 PFF grade, while completing 67.2% of his passes for an average of 6.79 YPA, 15 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions, with 5.90 YPC and 7 touchdowns on 120 carries.
Jones may still have further untapped upside, only in his age 26 season, and his statistical production would almost definitely improve with more talent around him, but the history of paying non-elite quarterbacks top quarterback money is not promising. Since the start of the salary cap era in 1994, just 5 of 29 Super Bowls have been won by a quarterback with a cap hit that was more than 11% of the salary cap and all of those quarterbacks are Hall of Fame caliber players. It’s close to impossible to win it all with a highly paid starting quarterback unless he is an elite player under center, as it becomes very tough to surround a non-elite quarterback with enough talent to win with if that quarterback is taking a significant percentage of the cap.
Jones’ durability issues also might not be totally behind him, given that he’s suffered a significant injury in three of four seasons in the league. Fortunately, the Giants do at least have a good backup in Tyrod Taylor, who has started 53 games in 12 seasons in the league, totaling a 88.2 QB rating, while adding 2,071 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns on 366 carries (5.66 YPC). Taylor would still be a downgrade from Jones if he had to play an extended period of time, but you can do a lot worse at the backup quarterback spot. This is not a bad quarterback room, but Jones was likely overpaid this off-season and backup Tyrod Taylor has a better chance than most backup quarterbacks of having to see action, given Jones’ history of injuries.
Grade: B
Receiving Corps
The biggest area the Giants needed to address on offense this off-season was their receiving corps. The Giants came into last season with a pair of highly paid veteran receivers Kenny Golladay and Sterling Shepard, who were on contracts worth up to 72 million over 4 years and up to 41 million over 4 years respectively, and they had another pair of recent high draft picks at the position, 2021 1st round pick Kadarius Toney and 2022 2nd round pick Wan’Dale Robinson.
However, Shepard and Robinson were limited to 165 snaps in 3 games and 229 snaps in 6 games respectively by torn ACLs that ended their seasons early, Toney was traded to the Chiefs mid-season for a third round pick after playing just 35 snaps in 2 games and falling out of favor with the coaching staff, while Golladay struggled so much in practice and fell out of favor so much with the coaching staff that he played just 261 snaps on the season, despite being highly paid and mostly healthy in a thin receiving corps that was devoid of real playmakers.
With those aforementioned four players contributing little, the Giants tried a variety of other receivers to see what would stick, with their top-5 in terms of snaps played being Darius Slayton (697 snaps), Richie James (524 snaps), Isaiah Hodgins (417 snaps), Marcus Johnson (312 snaps), and David Sills (269 snaps), a group of players that mostly was inexperienced and overlooked heading into last season. Slayton had the most experience of the bunch and, unsurprisingly, saw the most action and was the most productive of the bunch, leading the team in receiving, despite starting the season far down on the depth chart, playing just 18 snaps in the first three games of the season.
A 5th round pick in 2019, Slayton had averaged a decent 41/610/4 slash line per year with 1.33 yards per route run across his first three seasons in the league prior to last season and saw those numbers jump to 46/724/2 and 1.79 yards per route run last season. Set to be a free agent this off-season, the Giants opted to bring Slayton back on a reasonable 2-year, 12 million dollar deal, suggesting he will continue having a significant role even in what should be an overall improved receiving corps this year, even if only by default.
Along with re-signing Slayton, the Giants also signed ex-Colts wide receiver Parris Campbell to a 1-year, 4.7 million dollar deal, brought back Sterling Shepard on a reduced 1-year, 1.3175 million dollar deal, took a flier on veteran free agent Jamison Crowder (only 27.5K guaranteed), and used a 3rd round pick on Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt, all of whom figure to compete for roles with Slayton and fellow holdovers Wan’Dale Robinson, Isaiah Hodgins, and David Sills, in a crowded group in which some of the aforementioned players will have to be left off the final roster.
Sills seems like a likely candidate to be left off this roster, averaging just 0.84 yards per route run last season and 0.72 yards per route run in his career since going undrafted in 2019, while Crowder would seem to have shaky hold on a roster spot as well, given how little guaranteed money he got this off-season and the fact that he is going into his age 30 season and coming off of an injury plagued season in which he played just 93 snaps in four games. Crowder averaged 1.59 yards per route run in his prime across his first six seasons in the league, but the 5-9 177 pounder was never more than a slot specialist and his yards per route run average fell to 1.15 in 2021 and 0.85 last season before the injury, so his best days seem to be behind him.
Shepard also probably has a shaky hold on a roster spot, after not being guaranteed anything on his new contract, but if he’s healthy he probably has a good chance to make this roster, as the 2016 2nd round pick has averaged 1.48 yards per route run in his career, including 1.56 last season. If he’s healthy is the tough part though, as he’s now missed 39 games in 7 seasons in the league, including 24 over just the past 2 seasons, and he’s now going into his age 30 season and coming off yet another significant injury. He may have a little bit left in the tank if he’s healthy, but he could just as easily not contribute to this team at all and/or be left off the final roster.
The rest of this group is likely locked into a roster spot. Robinson missed most of his rookie year with injury, but they used a second round pick on him, he flashed a lot of potential with 1.76 yards per route run average in his limited action and, while his injury recovery complicates his projection, if he’s healthy it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him continue playing at that level into a bigger role. Jalin Hyatt is raw and might not contribute much as a rookie, but he should be at least locked into a roster spot and has the talent to potentially make an impact in year one.
Parris Campbell’s contract suggests he will play at least somewhat of a role on this offense, after averaging 1.03 yards per route run and posting a 63/623/3 slash line with the Colts in 2022, mediocre numbers, but largely because of poor quarterback play with the Colts. Campbell was a 2nd round pick in 2019, but injuries limited him to 436 snaps in 15 games across those three seasons, though he did average 1.29 yards per route run across those three seasons when he had better quarterback play. Durability remains a concern with him, even after playing 17 games last season, but he’s still only going into his age 26 season and could continue being a decent option at wide receiver if he stays healthy.
Isaiah Hodgins will also likely continue having a role, after proving valuable as a mid-season signing last year, averaging 1.40 yards per route run with a 33/351/4 slash line in his final eight games of the season, after the Buffalo Bills gave up on the 2020 6th round pick too soon. Hodgins is a complete one-year wonder, never catching a pass prior to last season and catching just four passes with the Bills last year before they let him go mid-season, so he could prove to be a fluke, but he also still could be a useful receiver for them. The Giants lack a clear #1 wide receiver, but they do have a lot of options at the position and, overall, should be better than a year ago, even if that’s not saying much.
The Giants also added tight end Darren Waller this off-season, which was their biggest addition, sending a third round pick to the Raiders to acquire Waller and the 11.875 million he’s owed this season, and he could be the de facto #1 receiver for this team. In his prime, Waller was one of the best tight ends in the league, posting 83.2 and 86.5 grades on PFF in 2019 and 2020 respectively, while totaling slash lines of 90/1146/3 and 107/1196/9 respectively, while averaging 2.35 yards per route run total.
However, Waller has missed 14 games with injury over the past two seasons combined, while watching his yards per route run averages drop to 1.74 and 1.58 and his slash lines drop to 55/665/2 and 28/388/3 respectively, and now he heads into his age 31 season, so he seems to be on the decline, with his best days almost definitely behind him. Waller has some bounce back potential and could still be a useful weapon for this team, especially given their lack of a top level receiver, but it’s unlikely he’ll bounce back all the way to his best and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he continued declining or suffered another injury.
At the very least though, Waller should be an upgrade over Daniel Bellinger, who averaged 0.83 yards per route run last season and managed just a 30/268/2 slash line in 12 games. Bellinger was also only a rookie last season, selected in the 4th round, so he could take a step forward in his second year in the league in 2023. He’s unlikely to see the same target share (35 targets in 12 games) he had last season with Waller now in town, but he could be a much more efficient pass catcher as the #2 tight end than he was as the starter last season and he’s a solid blocker as well. This receiving corps lacks a true coverage changer or go-to receiver, with the closest thing they have being an aging, injury prone tight end, but this isn’t a bad group and they should be noticeably better than a year ago.
Grade: B
Running Backs
The Giants also used a big chunk of their cap space to retain free agent feature back Saquon Barkley, currently on the 1-year, 10.091 million dollar franchise tag and potentially in line to receive a long-term extension before the start of the season. Barkley was a big part of this offense’s success last season, rushing for 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns on 295 carries (4.45 YPC), a big boost for this offense after Barkley had previously been limited to 627 yards and 2 touchdowns on 181 carries (3.46 YPC) over the previous two seasons combined, due to injuries that cost him 18 games total and limited him in several others.
Durability remains a concern for Barkley, who also missed 3 games in his second season in the league in 2019 too, but he’s surpassed 4.40 YPC, 200 carries, and 1,000 yards rushing in three of his five seasons in the league, so he’s proven to be a high level runner when healthy, even on an offense that has often lacked talent around him to help give him room to run. He’s also been heavily utilized in the passing game, with 247 catches and 336 targets in 60 career games, but that’s been more out of necessity than anything and he hasn’t been terribly efficient, averaging just 7.37 yards per catch, 5.42 yards per target, and 1.20 yards per route run in his career. Assuming he can stay healthy and can come to an agreement on his contract, Barkley should remain a talented feature back for this offense, but there is some risk of another injury or an extended holdout.
The Giants aren’t well prepared for an extended Barkley absence, with Matt Breida returning as the backup running back for the second straight year, with only 5th round rookie Eric Gray added to the mix this off-season. Breida does have an impressive 4.81 YPC for his career, but he has just 520 carries in 6 seasons in the league, with a career high for 153 carries in a season. A combination of him and the rookie Eric Gray would obviously be a downgrade from Barkley if he were to miss time, but, at the same time, the Giants also don’t have horrible depth either. Barkley being healthy and not holding out is key to this backfield and that’s not a guarantee, but this is still a good backfield overall.
Grade: A-
Offensive Line
The Giants’ offensive line was also a big area of need this off-season, but the Giants didn’t really have enough resources left over to address it in a significant way. They weren’t horrible overall, ranking 24th in team pass block grade on PFF and 14th in team run blocking grade, but that was because the dominant play of left tackle Andrew Thomas elevated this group significantly. Thomas finished the season above 80 on PFF in both run blocking and pass blocking grade and finished 3rd among offensive tackles overall with a 89.1 grade.
Last season was the best season of Thomas’ career, but it didn’t come out of nowhere, as Thomas was the 4th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and has been on an upwards trajectory since entering the league, receiving a 62.4 grade from PFF in 15 starts as a rookie and a 78.9 grade in 13 starts in his second season in the league in 2021, before last year’s career best year. Thomas might not be quite as good again this season, but he’s also only in his age 24 season and should remain one of the top players at his position for years to come, even if he’s not quite as dominant as he was a year ago every season.
In total, the Giants had ten different players make starts for them on the offensive line last season, but, outside of Thomas, only one other player, right guard Mark Glowinski, received a grade higher than 60 on PFF and he was only at 63.3. Glowinski has been a solid starter for most of his career, making 9 or more starts in 6 of 8 seasons in the league and finishing above 60 on PFF in all 6 of those seasons, with a pair of finishes above 70 in 2018 and 2021. However, Glowinski is now heading into his age 31 season and will likely start to decline soon, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was a little bit more of a liability than usual this season, even if he still has a good chance to remain at least a capable starter.
Despite the Giants’ problems on the offensive line, the only real addition they made to this group was using a second round pick on Minnesota center John Michael Schmitz, who is a heavy favorite to start at center as a rookie, replacing free agent departure Jon Feliciano, who had a 58.2 grade in 15 starts. Schmitz profiles as a solid starter long-term, but could struggle through some growing pains as a rookie. However, the only other true center on this team is JC Hassenhauer, a career backup (7 starts since going undrafted in 2018) who will almost definitely remain a backup, so Schmitz has a pretty clear path to a starting role in year one.
Aside from starting the rookie Schmitz or career backup Hassenhauer, the only other option the Giants have at center is moving one of their guards inside, but none of them have any real experience at the position and left guard is a position of weakness itself. Ben Bredeson made a team leading 8 starts at left guard last season, but finished with just a 56.7 PFF grade and the 2020 4th round pick hasn’t been better than that in the past, playing just 342 total snaps in his first two seasons combined in the league prior to 2022 and finishing below 60 on PFF in both seasons. He may still have some untapped potential, but it’s more likely that he remains a backup caliber player going forward.
Bredeson will face competition from Joshua Ezeudu, a 2022 3rd round pick who struggled with a 46.0 PFF grade on 290 rookie year snaps but who could be better in year two, Marcus McKethan, a 2022 5th round pick who missed his entire rookie season with injury, and Shane Lemieux, a 2020 5th round pick who received a 32.2 PFF grade in 9 starts as a rookie and who has since been limited to just 56 total snaps in two seasons due to injuries. Left guard will almost definitely remain a position of weakness for this team in 2023, while center could as well if Schmitz can’t be a starting caliber player right away in year one.
Right tackle was also a position of weakness for the Giants in 2022, but they are hoping for a lot more out of 2022 7th overall pick Evan Neal, who struggled mightily as a rookie with a 44.1 PFF grade in 14 starts, but who still has the potential to develop into an above average starter long-term. I would expect him to take a big leap forward in year two and, while that big leap might only make him a capable starter, that would still be a boost for this offensive line. Even after a rough rookie year, he is still a better option for the Giants than swing tackle candidates Tyre Phillips, a 2020 3rd round pick who has finished below average in all three seasons in the league (18 starts), and Matt Peart, another 2020 3rd round pick, who has just 6 career starts. This offensive line still figures to have problems this season, but they could be better than a year ago.
Grade: B-
Interior Defenders
The Giants also had problems on defense last season. They had some standout players, with several starters having above average seasons, but they also had their weaknesses, they lacked depth, and they had a lot of injuries, with the 3rd most adjusted games lost to injury on defense in the league. They should be healthier this season, but they didn’t add a lot on this side of the ball this off-season, so they still figure to have some problems.
The interior defender position is a great example, as they had a pair of above average starters, Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams, who received grades of 92.0 and 77.9 respectively from PFF, but Williams missed 5 games with injury and their depth was horrible, with Justin Ellis (362 snaps), Nick Williams (227 snaps), Henry Mondeaux (249 snaps), and Ryder Anderson (152 snaps) finishing with grades of 31.3, 59.9, 29.7, and 43.0 respectively from PFF.
The Giants did at least try to upgrade their depth at this position, letting all of the aforementioned players leave this off-season except Anderson, who is not a lock for the final roster, and adding veterans A’Shawn Robinson, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, and Vernon Butler in free agency. The Giants could also give more playing time to 2022 5th round pick DJ Davidson, though he struggled mightily in his very limited (43 snaps) rookie year action.
Robinson is probably the best of the bunch. He’s never been much of a pass rusher with a 5.4% pressure rate for his career and a combination of injuries and his lack of pass rush ability have limited him to just 988 snaps in 35 games over the past three seasons combined, but he’s still only in his age 28 season and has finished above 60 on PFF against the run in all but one of his seven seasons in the league, so he should at least be a solid early down run defender for this team.
Nunez-Roches struggles even more as a pass rusher, with a career 4.1% pressure rate and he’s not nearly good enough against the run to make up for it, leading to him finishing below 60 overall on PFF in five of his eight seasons in the league, while averaging just 311 snaps per season with a career high of 548, which came last season when he had a 56.2 overall PFF grade and a 3.2% pressure rate. Now going into his age 30 season, I wouldn’t expect anything more out of him this season and he could easily decline and struggle even more.
Butler, meanwhile, is a former first round pick and flashed potential early in his career, but he’s never played more than 440 snaps in a season in 7 seasons in the league and he has finished below 60 on PFF in five straight seasons since his promising start, including a 34.5 PFF grade on 285 snaps in 2021, before only seeing 12 snaps all season in 2022. The Giants’ depth options at the interior defender position are probably by default better than a year ago, but they still would be in a lot of trouble at the position if one of their top-2, Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams, ends up missing time with injury again.
The Giants will be hoping that doesn’t happen again, but injuries are part of the game and chances aren’t high that both players will play all 17 games. While they are on the field though, they should be one of the best interior defender duos in the league. Lawrence was the better of the two last season and he was better than basically any other interior defender in the league, ranking tied for 1st among interior defenders on PFF in overall grade, playing the run at a high level, but also adding 7.5 sacks, 23 hits, and a 12.3% pressure rate.
It was a career best year for Lawrence, but it didn’t come totally out of nowhere, as Lawrence was a first round pick in 2019 and played at an above average level throughout his first three seasons in the league prior to last season, receiving overall grades of 76.2, 79.7, and 68.6 from PFF on snap counts of 701, 655, and 759 respectively, particularly excelling as a pass rusher, with 9 sacks, 22 hits, and a 8.6% pressure rate in 48 games even before last year’s breakout season.
Lawrence might not be quite as good again in 2023, just because it’s hard for anyone to play at that level for two straight years, but it’s clear he is going to be one of the best interior defenders in the league for years to come, still very much in his prime in his age 26 season. The Giants had to pay up to keep Lawrence long-term, extending him on a 4-year, 87.5 million dollar deal this off-season that makes him the 4th highest paid interior defender in the league, but barring an unexpected catastrophic injury he figures to be worth every penny of that contract.
Williams is also a former first round pick, going 6th overall in 2015, and he’s been an above average starter ever since entering the league, surpassing 70 on PFF in all eight seasons in the league. A well-rounded and durable player, Williams has played 124 of 130 possible games in his career, with an average of 52.2 snaps per game, and he has received an above average grade from PFF for both his run defense and his pass rush in every season in the league. He’s also highly paid in the final year of a 3-year, 63 million dollar contract, which makes him the 5th highest paid interior defender in the league in terms of average annual salary.
Williams doesn’t have a huge career sack total, with 38 in 124 career games, but he has great peripheral pass rush numbers, adding 129 hits and a 10.0% pressure rate to that sack total and is more or less worth his contract, given how good of an overall playoff he is. Still only in his age 29 season, I would expect more of the same from Williams again in 2023. He and Lawrence are one of the best interior defender duos in the league and their depth is marginally better than a year ago, but they still would be in a lot of trouble if one of their top-2 missed significant time with injury.
Grade: A-
Edge Defenders
The Giants had an even worse depth/injury situation at the edge defender position last year and, unlike at the interior defender position, they didn’t have an elite top duo. Rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux had an impressive first season in the league, receiving a 71.9 PFF grade on 740 snaps, but he missed 3 games with injury and their second best edge defender Azeez Ojulari (62.4 PFF grade) missed 10 games and was limited to 230 snaps, which opened up playing time for Oshane Ximines (506 snaps), Jihad Ward (657 snaps), and Tomon Fox (320 snaps), who all struggled mightily, with PFF grades of 58.3, 43.7, and 40.1 respectively.
Unlike the interior defender position, the Giants didn’t make any real additions to this group this off-season and instead will just be hoping their starters can stay healthier, but, even if they can, this is still a position that could have been upgraded this off-season. Thibodeaux has a big upside and could take a step forward in his second season in the league, but that’s not a guarantee and, even if Azeez Olujari can stay healthy, he might not be anything more than a marginal player, which he has been thus far in the NFL.
Olujari was a 2nd round pick in 2021 and has the upside to be more than he’s been, but he had just a 58.3 PFF grade on 781 snaps as a rookie, totaling 8 sacks, but adding just 7 hits and a 9.3% pressure rate, before his middling performance last season in limited action, when he improved a little as a pass rusher, but struggled as a run defender. Olujari could take a step forward in year three if he can stay healthy, but that’s not a guarantee and he could remain more of a snap eater than anything.
Ximines and Ward are still on the team and figure to continue having roles, even though they are likely to continue struggling. Ximines was a third round pick in 2019 and was decent with a 60.8 PFF grade on 502 snaps as a rookie, but injuries limited him to 293 snaps in 14 games in his next two seasons, prior to last year’s underwhelming campaign. Now going into his age 27 season, it’s unlikely Ximines has much if any untapped upside left and, even if he can continue staying healthy, he should be marginal at best. Ward, meanwhile, was a second round pick back in 2015, but despite going into his 9th season in the league, he hasn’t really lived up to that, finishing below 60 on PFF in 6 of 8 seasons in the league, on an average of 336 snaps per season. I wouldn’t expect anything more from him in 2023.
The Giants also still have Tomon Fox, but the 2022 undrafted free agent shouldn’t be anything more than a deep reserve, even if he makes the final roster. Elerson Smith was a 4th round pick in 2021, but he has only played 121 snaps thus far in his career and might have trouble even beating out Fox for a final roster spot. Without any major additions to a group that was below average as a whole last season, the Giants are hoping for better health and potentially better play out of their top-2 edge defenders, who are a pair of recent high draft picks. There is upside here, but I wouldn’t expect above average overall play.
Grade: B-
Linebackers
Linebacker was also a position of need for the Giants this off-season, as their top-3 linebackers a year ago in terms of snaps played were Jaylon Smith (626 snaps), Tae Crowder (445 snaps), and Micah McFadden (435 snaps) who received grades of 56.0, 29.6, and 38.7 respectively from PFF. The Giants did make one notable addition at the position, signing former Colts linebacker Bobby Okereke to a contract worth 40 million over 4 years in free agency, a move that could prove to be worth it, with Okereke coming off of a season in which he was PFF’s 21st ranked off ball linebacker with a 73.3 grade on 970 snaps.
Okereke is a one-year wonder playing at that level in an every down role though, flashing with a 78.4 PFF grade on 472 snaps as a rookie in 2019, but falling to 49.6 on 685 snaps in 2020 and 58.5 on 1,072 snaps in 2021, before his big contract year in 2022. Okereke was a 3rd round pick in 2019 and it’s possible he’s permanently turned a corner and will remain an above average every down player, very much in his prime in his age 27 season, but he’s also a candidate to regress and might find it hard to repeat by far the best season of his career for the second straight season. Still, he figures to be a noticeable upgrade on what the Giants had at linebacker last season and he can play every down, which none of the Giants’ linebackers a year ago did.
Unfortunately, the Giants still have a big hole at the other linebacker spot next to Okereke, not making any other significant additions to this group this off-season. With Tae Crowder and Jaylon Smith gone, Micah McFadden is their top holdover from a year ago and the 2022 5th round pick could take a step forward in his second season in the league and play at a higher level in a larger role, but that’s far from a guarantee, considering how much he struggled in year one and how far he has to go to even be a competent linebacker, especially if they plan on using him in more of an every down capacity.
They may need McFadden to play close to an every down role though, as their other candidates for playing time next to Okereke are 2022 6th round pick Darrian Beavers, who didn’t play a snap on defense as a rookie, 2020 7th round pick Carter Coughlin, who has struggled mightily on 239 career snaps, 2020 6th round pick Cam Brown, who has also struggled on 109 career snaps, and veteran Jarrad Davis, who is an underwhelming option, but, by default might be their best competition for McFadden, even though the 6-year veteran has played just 517 snaps per season in his career, while finishing below 60 on PFF in 4 of 6 seasons. The addition of Bobby Okereke in free agency helps this group, but the rest of the bunch figures to continue struggling mightily, barring an unexpected breakout year from an inexperienced and unproven young player.
Grade: C+
Secondary
The Giants also had a lot of injuries at the cornerback position last season. Adoree Jackson and Aaron Robinson were starters in week one, but were limited to 10 games and 2 games respectively due to injury, leading to Darnay Holmes and Fabian Moreau, expected to their #3 and #4 cornerbacks, instead being their top cornerbacks in terms of snaps with 572 and 749, which proved to be a big problem for this team, with Holmes and Moreau receiving grades of 43.7 and 53.8 respectively from PFF.
Holmes is still on the team, but Moreau is gone and Holmes is unlikely to continue seeing a significant role. Not only will Robinson and Jackson likely be healthier, but the Giants also used their first round pick on Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks, who has a good chance to start as a rookie alongside Jackson and potentially Robinson. The Giants also added Old Dominion cornerback Tre Hawkins in the 6th round of the draft, took a flier on veteran Amani Oruwariye, and they could give a bigger role to 2022 3rd round pick Cordale Flott, who was decent with a 65.8 PFF grade on 335 snaps as a rookie and who could push to start over Banks or Robinson in his second season in the league.
Jackson is locked in as a starter and the #1 cornerback as long as he’s healthy, although durability has been a consistent problem for him in his career, costing him 29 games in 6 seasons in the league since going in the first round in 2017. When healthy though, Jackson has mostly shown why he was a high draft pick, receiving a grade higher than 70 from PFF in 5 of 6 seasons in the league, including a 72.2 grade last season. Still only in his age 28 season, I would expect more of the same from him this season, but unfortunately more of the same will likely include more time missed with injury, having missed at least 4 games in each of the past four seasons. It’s a good thing the Giants have at least fortified their depth at this position this off-season in case of another Jackson injury.
Aaron Robinson, meanwhile, was a 3rd round pick by the Giants in 2021 and looked on his way towards being a starter in 2022, but that was before the injury and he still really hasn’t played much in his career, seeing just 268 defensive snaps in 9 games as a rookie, so he’s probably not locked into a starting role with the rookie Banks being added and and Flott looking ready for a larger role. Robinson has flashed potential in his very limited action though and, still only in his age 25 season, he still has upside if he can stay healthy in his third season in the league, so he could easily end up as a week one starter again.
With a top-4 of Jackson, Banks, Robinson, and Flott in some order, that only leaves deep reserve roles available at most for Darnay Holmes, a 2020 4th round pick who has finished below average on PFF in all three seasons in the league on an average of 432 snaps per season, Amani Oruwariye, who has finished below 60 on PFF in three straight seasons, including a 30.0 PFF grade on 474 snaps in 2022, and the rookie Tre Hawkins, who, by virtue of his status as a late round draft pick, seems unlikely to be able to make a significant impact in year one. This is a much deeper cornerback group than a year ago and they should be healthier as well.
The Giants did lose free agent safety Julian Love this off-season though, a big loss as he finished with a 70.0 PFF grade on 1,006 snaps last season. Fortunately, the Giants did sign Bobby McCain to replace him, who shouldn’t be too much of a downgrade. McCain has finished above 60 on PFF in 7 of 8 seasons in the league, including 62.1, 70.9, and 61.4 grades on PFF on snap counts of 923, 1,031, and 970 over the past three seasons respectively. The only concern with him is that he’s going into his age 30 season, so his best days are probably behind him and I wouldn’t expect him to be quite as good as Love, but he’s not totally over the hill so he could easily remain at least a capable starter.
The Giants are also likely to get more out of fellow starting safety Xavier McKinney, who missed 8 games with injury last season. McKinney finished with a 57.8 PFF grade on 554 snaps, but he earned grades of 70.0 and 75.4 from PFF in his first two seasons in the league prior to last season and he was a 2nd round pick back in 2020, so he should bounce back in 2023 assuming he’s healthy, which would be a big boost for this secondary. Durability remains a concern, as he also missed 10 games as a rookie, limiting him to 211 snaps total, but he did make all 17 starts and play 1,134 snaps in 2021 and, only going into his age 24 season, he has the potential to be even better going forward and he could easily be an above average safety for years to come if he can consistently stay healthy.
In McKinney’s absence last season, Dane Belton (290 snaps) and Jason Pinnock (459 snaps) were forced into larger roles and they figure to be their top reserves again this season, along with Nick McCloud, a hybrid cornerback/safety who played 537 snaps between the two positions in 2022. Belton struggled mightily with a 30.6 grade in his limited role, but the 2022 4th round pick might be better in year two, while Pinnock and McCloud actually played pretty well, with grades of 61.3 and 67.0 respectively.
Pinnock was a 5th round pick in 2021 by the Jets and while he didn’t make the Jets’ final roster in year two, that was despite a 70.4 PFF grade on 202 rookie year snaps and he flashed that potential again in year two. McCloud, meanwhile, went undrafted in 2021 and only played 14 rookie year snaps, but could remain a solid reserve going forward, as could Pinnock, so the Giants have pretty good depth behind McKinney and McCain, who are also a solid safety duo. This secondary looks much improved from a year ago, when depth was suspect and was exposed by injuries to several key players.
Grade: B+
Conclusion
The Giants went 9-7-1 a year ago and got better this off-season, but they’re not as good as that suggests, as they had a -6 point differential and ranked just 21st in DVOA, meaning they’re improved from a lower base point than their record suggests. However, they have a pretty solid roster overall and, in the weak NFC, they have a pretty good shot to a wild card spot. They might not win more games than a year ago, or at least not significantly more so, but they’ll probably be a better team, especially if they can stay healthier on defense. I will have a final prediction at the end of the off-season when all previews are completed.
Prediction: 7-10, 3rd in NFC East
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