The New York Giants are in an awkward position as a franchise. Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll have had enough time to put their stamp on the Giants roster but the team still feels stuck in the mud. Many of the position groups have improved over the past few seasons, but QB is still a huge question mark for Big Blue. This has Schoen, Daboll, and other key figures in the Giants organization on the hot seat heading into a hugely important 2024 season.
But there are reasons for hope. New York traded for star edge rusher Brian Burns this offseason, who will pair well with Kayvon Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawrence. The Giants also drafted dynamic WR Malik Nabers in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
New York is finally stacking a few good draft classes in a row, so it is easy to see how things could work out. However, if they can't put together a good season in 2024 it may be back to the drawing board.
Not everyone can make the final roster — let alone earn a spot in the starting lineup. These two entrenched Giants starters could easily lose their starting spots ahead of the 2024 season.
Will Jermaine Eleumunor lose his starting job to Evan Neal?
The Giants were excited to sign Jermaine Eleumunor in free agent earlier this spring. He is currently slated to be the team's Week 1 starter at right tackle. However, he could easily lose his job to a healthy Evan Neal.
Whether the Giants will ever have a healthy Evan Neal is the main question. Neal is entering his third season where he is working his way back from an offseason ankle injury. It is fair to wonder at this point if he will ever be healthy enough to play a complete season in the future.
However, there are some reasons for hope. Most notably, the Giants activated Evan Neal off the PUP list earlier this week. He is officially in the hunt for the starting right tackle job.
If Neal is able to show some flashes of the player the Giants drafted in the first round, he will almost certainly be thrust into the starting lineup. Adding Neal to the starting lineup would have a domino effect on the rest of the starters, including Eleumunor.
Eleumunor would likely shift to become the team's starting left guard if Neal is the starting right tackle. That would give the Giants a solid starter at each position on the offensive line. This is something that New York has not had in quite a long time.
Getting a healthy Evan Neal could be an absolute gamechanger for the Giants offense. For their sake I hope that Neal can stay healthy enough to play a complete season in 2024.
The Giants want Tyler Nubin to win the strong safety job — but will he be ready in time to unseat Dane Belton?
Nothing is ever handed to you in the NFL. You always have to go out on the field and earn it. The same is true for Giants rookie Tyler Nubin.
The New York Giants drafted Nubin in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The vision for the pick is clear — Nubin will hopefully become the successor to Xavier McKinney who left the team in free agency.
Nubin's main competition for the starting job will be third-year player Dane Belton.
The Giants drafted Belton in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Throughout his first two years, Belton has played a backup role in New York, never eclipsing 400 total snaps in a season. However, he has the inside track on the starting job thanks to his time in the system and seniority over Nubin.
However, there is a very real possibility that Nubin goes out and earns the starting role outright in training camp and the preseason. Nubin brings much more talent to the competition and the coaching staff would clearly like to see him earn the job.
Both Nubin and Belton should make the final 53-man roster regardless. Who ends up starting in Week 1 will likely depend on who looks like the better coverage player coming out of camp.
Even if Belton is the starter in Week 1, he will be on the hot seat the entire season with Nubin hot on his heels.
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