Simply put, the New York Giants weren't good last season. They went 5-11, good enough for last place in the NFC East and the sixth pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Of course, one of the bigger headlines of the offseason for them was then that wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was shipped off to the Cleveland Browns. Then they went ahead and drafted another quarterback with the sixth pick in Daniel Jones.
None of that seems to have knocked quarterback Eli Manning's focus though. In fact, according to Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com, Manning believes the Giants will be an improved team in 2019. His main reason for that is running back Saquon Barkley.
That's a pretty solid reason to be fair. Barkley dominated in his rookie season in 2018 – and things could only get better. Manning believes New York will improve because they now know how to use Barkley.
You could argue that they used him fine last season, as he racked up 1,307 rushing yards and 91 receptions. However, that doesn't mean they completely understood how to bring out his full potential.
Now that they have a year of film and personal use at their disposal, they know what works best. The Giants know how defenses will play Barkley and what will set him up to succeed the most. It's scary to think about, but things could get a lot better for Barkley in the future.
Once Barkley is used to his full potential, the entire offense will open up. Manning (or Jones) will have an easier time due to that, and the New York Giants might just improve.
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