Tyler Monahan previews the New York Giants’ upcoming season and makes his predictions as their youthful roster aims to build on last season’s disappointment.
In the last few seasons the New York Giants have not exactly been lighting the football world on fire. Consistently finishing towards the bottom of the NFC East pack behind the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, the Giants have been building up their roster to challenge for the division title thanks to a solid group of young players. Both the Eagles and Cowboys are going after a Super Bowl, the Giants aren’t at that level yet but this could be the season that the young roster puts it all together and starts to really compete.
Offense
Led by young Quarterback Daniel Jones the Giants offense has some of the most upside of any NFL offense if they reach their full potential. The Giants picking Jones sixth overall in the 2019 NFL Draft was heavily questioned, but for the most part he lived up to expectations and showed the flashes that made him a top prospect.
When you couple a growing quarterback with an elite running back like the Giants have in Saquon Barkley the offense already shows tons of potential. Last year Barkley struggled due a nagging ankle injury and ineffective quarterback play early in the year leading to defenses stacking the box against the run, this shouldn’t be an issue this season. With Barkley at full health and competent play around him he should continue to flourish.
Daniel Jones also has a solid group to throw the ball to. Saquon Barkley is a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield and if wide receivers Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate can stay heathy they will be solid weapons in the middle of the field. Wide receiver Darrius Slayton stood out as a rookie last season and will look to take another step forward as Jones’ favorite receiver and top deep threat. Throw in a top tier safety blanket for Jones in tight end Evan Engram and the Giants offense looks pretty solid from top to bottom.
Defense
For the most part the New York Giants defense has been subpar the last few seasons. They have put more of an emphasis on bringing in bigger names with top tier talent as of late, but they have still been middle of the pack at best.
The addition of Leonard Williams to the defensive line late last year was a solid pick up as he helped solidify the front three but besides him and Markus Golden rushing off the edge the rest of the defense didn’t step up much. This offseason the team brought in two difference makers on defense in cornerback James Bradberry from the Carolina Panthers and linebacker Blake Martinez from the Green Bay Packers to help lead the team, both have experience in big games and have shown the leadership qualities the young Giants team needs.
The Giants won’t be a team that will rely heavily on defense but the defense shouldn’t be the thing that holds them back. If the offense can live up to their potential all the defense will need to do is make a few stops a game, with the additions coupled with the talent already on the roster I think they are capable of doing that.
Overview
In a season that is going to be much different than we as fans have ever seen before the New York Giants will look to take another step towards being true competitors. They might not be at the level to compete for a Super Bowl or even a division title right now but the upside is there for this team.
New York Giants Picks
Here are my Giants picks ahead of the new NFL season.
Pick: Giants under 6 wins -106
My prediction for the Giants this season is a 6-10 record but I could definitely see a scenario where they lose an extra game due to the youth and inexperience of this team. They don’t have the easiest schedule and playing in the NFC East has been a guaranteed 3-4 losses the last few years so I think the odds of the Giants winning less than 6 games are pretty good.
Pick: Saquon Barkley over 1625.5 Rushing + Receiving Yards -110
Saquon Barkley is one of the most talented players in the NFL regardless of position. The Giants have done their best recently to maximize his talent and potential, drafting new left tackle Andrew Thomas in the first round proves that. Back to being fully healthy and now being able to run behind a huge new left tackle I think Barkley is in for a huge year.
