There's a lot riding on the 2022 season for the New York Giants. They need to figure out whether their depth chart as currently assembled is good enough to lead the team to the playoffs, or if it will continue to fail to meet expectations as it has done over the past few seasons.

At the center of this is Daniel Jones. The young quarterback has had a wildly uneven start to his career, and he's going to have to prove he has what it takes to be a successful quarterback in the NFL this season. Luckily, he should have the tools at his disposal to succeed in 2022.

The Giants have a couple of open spots in their starting lineup, and it could result in some backups being elevated from the bench to the first unit. Let's take a look at two players who could make that jump during the 2022 season.

2 Giants backups who can steal a first-string job in 2022

2. Joshua Ezeudu

One of the goals the Giants have had over the past few seasons is revamping their weak offensive line. They took a step towards that by drafting Joshua Ezeudu in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Ezeudu has a lot of upside, and has impressed the Giants coaches early on in his tenure with the team.

Entering training camp, Ezeudu seemed likely to be one of the top backups on the Giants o-line. Shane Lemieux and Mark Glowinski seemed locked into the Giants top two guard spots on the o-line, and Ezeudu clearly had a lot of ground to make up if he intended on catching either of them before the start of the season.

Ezeudu impressed during his time on the field with the second unit, but he wasn't exactly competing for a starting spot. That changed pretty quickly when Lemieux went down with a toe injury, and according to head coach Brian Daboll, it doesn't sound like he will be back anytime soon. That opened up a starting spot for Ezeudu in the blink of an eye.

Ezeudu is now the favorite to be New York's starting left guard when the regular season opens. Lemieux could progress faster than expected, but it seems like Ezeudu may have snuck his way into a starting role to start the 2022 season.

It may only end up being a temporary starting role, but anytime someone gets a chance to start, there's a possibility that they could end up taking it and running with it. Ezeudu will find himself in that type of position heading into the 2022 campaign, and if he can capitalize on his increased role, Ezeudu could quickly become a crucial piece of the Giants offensive line.

1. Sterling Shepard

Sterling Shepard's NFL career has been derailed by untimely injuries. He clearly has the talent to be a really good wide receiver, but he can never end up staying on the field. And heading into the 2022 season, he may have lost his starting role due to his lack of availability on the field.

In front of Shepard on the Giants wide receiver depth chart is Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney, and Wan'Dale Robinson. Shepard is fourth, and hasn't taken the field yet during training camp as he rehabs from a torn achilles injury he suffered towards the end of the 2021 season. Shepard has some work to do, but the sooner he makes it back on the field, the better position he's in to reclaim his starting role.

Chances are Shepard will reclaim his starting job if he ends up getting healthy this season. Both Golladay and Toney were wildly inconsistent in their first seasons with New York last year, and Robinson is entering his rookie season. Shepard has proven to be a consistent option for Jones under center when he takes the field, but again, he actually has to be on the field in order to be productive.

Shepard's rehab has been going well according to the Giants, but he still doesn't really have a timetable for when he could return. Chances are he won't be ready come Week 1, which was largely expected. But the sooner Shepard can return to the field, the better it will be for the Giants.

New York is going to roll with Golladay, Toney, and Robinson as their top three wideouts heading into the season, and chances are that once Shepard returns, one of these three guys will be either injured or struggling badly enough that Shepard will simply take his starting spot back. Shepard doesn't have a ton of expectations surrounding him for the 2022 season, but if he can find his form when he returns to the field, he could end up being one of New York's top pass-catchers.