Four years and $160 million worth of time and money invested into Daniel Jones, and only one long year of it has passed by for Giants fans. However, this offseason shows that maybe there’s some hope for the Giants and their 6th year QB. Welcome back to another edition of ‘The Super Bowl Race In The Perspective of Chase’, and today we will preview the New Your Giants 2024 season!
2023 Season
Expectations were high in New York after the Giants had, not just made the postseason the year before, but won a game there before getting clamped by Philadelphia in the divisional round. Still though, a very promising season for a team that looked directionless a year prior. So the Giants re-signed Daniel Jones to a four year deal worth $160 million, making him one of the league’s highest paid quarterbacks, and franchise tagged Saquon Barkley to at least keep the star running back on the team for one more season. Clearly that meant nothing. Jones was a disappointment in the games he played, which were very few before suffering a season-ending injury through six games. So they turned to Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito, who both changed the culture around the facility. However, it didn’t last long, with the Giants finishing their season with some great talent but no success to show for it.
Offseason Additions and Losses
The New York Giants had one of the weirder offseasons in recent memory. It was shown on HBO’s Hard Knocks that the Giants were looking to trade up to the 3rd pick at select UNC QB Drake Maye, showing they have very little trust in Jones at the moment. No trade though was ever accepted, and the Giants selected LSU wideout Malik Nabers, a speedy receiver who can catch balls one-on-one and has been a proven weapon at a premier school. The Giants are hoping he can their No. 1 target, possibly as a rookie. The main this offseason was not re-signing Saquon Barkley, who took his talents to the rival Eagles, and instead bringing in Texas RB Devin Singletary. Singletary is not a bad player, but no where near what Saquon was last year. And the other main move was trading for Panthers DE Brian Burns, and then signing him to a five year, $150 million contract. While Burns is great, it was viewed as a lot of money for a team that may not even make the playoffs in 2024. A busy but weirdly enough productive offseason from Giants management. Fo
X-Factor: Wan’Dale Robinson
In this receiving core, everyone is talking about Malik Nabers and his upside. And that’s fine. But Wan’Dale Robinson is another pivotal part of this receiving core. Next to Nabers and Darius Slayton, he’ll probably be the Giants No. 3 receiving option, and a good one at that. He took major strides in his game last year, over doubling his receptions and almost doubling his yardage from his 2022, rookie campaign. He’s fast, he can create separation, and showed some flashes last season. That includes a six catch, 79 yard game against Green Bay and a 5 catch, 85 yard game to closeout the season against Philadelphia. When he was given the opportunity, he shined, which was why he eclipsed 500 yards last year. He’s not much of a red zone threat, catching just two touchdowns in two seasons. However, I think Robinson will develop and improve once again in year three.
Reason for Concern: Playmakers Offensively
Say what you want to say about previous Giants teams, but they always had one thing: a proven playmaker. When Saquon Barkley was healthy, he ran the offense. It didn’t matter who was at quarterback; the ball would find its way to Barkley. He was the playmaker, the difference maker, and he was reliable. That is something the Giants simply don’t have on this offense anymore. Singletary is a good running back, but could hardly come away with the RB1 position in Houston last year and hasn’t been consistent. Nabers could be a difference maker, but he hasn’t taken a snap on an NFL field yet. There isn’t any guarantees. Darius Slayton has been consistent, but not at a high level, and Robinson and Daniel Bellinger just aren’t proven enough to have that tag. It’s hard enough having Jones at quarterback and trying to work around him to make a postseason caliber team, but now they don’t even have a reliable playmaker to go to if Jones is struggling.
Reason for Promise: Front Seven
I believe the Giants secondary needs some work. But something special is going on in their front seven, which they improved on during multiple offseasons now. Burns is the new addition, and he’ll be an incredible pass rusher in New York. For one, he’s eclipsed 7 sacks in each of his first five seasons in the NFL, including multiple nine sack campaigns and a 12.5 sack season in 2022. He did have a slight down season last year with just eight sacks and 18 QB hits compared to his 12.5 and 22 QB hits the season before, but that’s still really productive. And you have to think he’ll have more opportunities with opposing O-Lines having to worry about other pieces. Dexter Lawrence is one of the best interior tackles in the National Football League, making an All-Pro team and finishing top ten in DPOY voting in 2023. And of course: Kayvon Thibodeaux. He’s going into his third season, coming off of a year where he had 11 sacks and 16 QB hits. He will also play extremely well. Add in Bobby Okereke, and this Giants front seven is going to look dangerous this coming year.
Prediction
This is a make or break season for Daniel Jones, who the Giants can let go after this season and not have to pay much of his remaining contract. This team has some talent. They have some pieces who can break out, and some dominant pass rushers and run stoppers on the defensive end. They’re just not well-rounded. They don’t have an exact skillset, and have many weaknesses. I find it hard to believe Jones will be able to do a lot with the playmakers he’s been given, and I think the Giants will struggle winning divisional games against Philadelphia, Dallas or even the newly improved Washington Commanders. So I think they can show some flashes, but another season with no playoffs in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
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