The New York Giants offense is expected to be much better this season than it was last year. Star wideout Odell Beckham Jr. will be back after missing most of last season. No. 2 overall pick Saquon Barkley is expected to make an immediate impact. And even the offensive line has received a serious upgrade with Nate Solder and Will Hernandez.

All those tools are expected to put Giants quarterback Eli Manning in a much better position to succeed after a down season. But Manning believes another Giants player is set for a big year: wideout Sterling Shepard. Manning believes Shepard has made great strides this offseason and looks ready to break out in Year 3.

“I thought Sterling had a great camp during the spring,” Manning said per Matt Lombardo NJ Advance Media. “He's understanding the coverages, understanding the route combinations, he understands zone and man, and how to make little moves to get open against different techniques.”

“I think he's primed for a big year,” Manning said. “And I've been really impressed by his work ethic.”

Shepard, a second-round pick by the Giants in 2016, had a solid rookie season as he had 65 catches for 683 yards and eight touchdowns. Unfortunately, he wasn’t quite able to build off of that last year. He missed five games, which saw him finish with just 59 catches for 731 yards and two touchdowns even with Beckham missing for most of the year.

Shepard will now have both Beckham and Barkley to compete with in terms of touches on that Giants offense. But if he can display the type of improvement that Manning has seen this offseason, he may just force his way into a much bigger role on the team this year.