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The New York Giants are in an awkward period of the franchise. New York's previous regime tried to find a QB before building the rest of their roster. That QB, Daniel Jones, is now a lame duck starter who will likely not be on the team next year.
This offseason, Brian Daboll and friends have taken the opposite approach. The Giants toyed with the idea of trading up in the draft for Drake Maye, but instead chose to upgrade the rest of the roster. Now, they just need to find a QB in the near future.
The Giants have added some legit playmakers this offseason. New York traded for pass rusher Brian Burns from the Carolina Panthers, giving them a huge upgrade opposite of Kayvon Thibodeaux. They also added key free agents in Devin Singletary, Jermaine Eleumunor, and Jordan Phillips.
New York also added some foundational pieces in the 2024 NFL Draft. First-round pick Malik Nabers should completely transform Big Blue's offense. Tyler Nubin will be a day-one starter and other mid-round picks like Theo Johnson, Andru Phillips, and Tyrone Tracy Jr. could all become significant role players in a hurry.
Ultimately, the Giants are not as far away from being contenders as it might seem. Their fortunes could look even better if they get break-out performances from some of their lesser-known players.
Let's explore two underrated sleepers on the Giants who have the chance to break out in 2024.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. could command a significant role in Giants' offense as soon as this season
The Giants are undergoing a huge shift in their backfield, forced to replace Saquon Barkley in the aggregate after he left for the Eagles.
New York signed running back Devin Singletary to a three-year, $16 million contract in free agency to become their new lead back. Singletary has quietly been a solid NFL running back for a few years now. He has rushed for over 800 yards for three seasons in a row. Singletary had a career year last season in Houston, rushing 216 times and putting up a career high 898 rushing yards. He is more than capable of handling early-down duties in New York moving forward.
However, the Giants needed to replace Barkley's pass-catching volume as well. That's where Tyrone Tracy Jr. comes in.
Tracy Jr. is relatively new to the running back position, but he is an incredible playmaker. More importantly, he is a reliable pass catcher who can do some serious damage out of the backfield.
He is not going to beat Devin Singletary out for the starting job, but there will certainly be a role for Tyrone Tracy Jr. on the Giants. Expect to see him as the team's primary third-down back sooner rather than later. New York may also find some creative ways to get him the ball in space to make sure of his ability to force missed tackles.
Fast forward a couple of seasons, and Tyrone Tracy Jr. could easily become a Swiss army knife of a player who becomes invaluable to the Giants. He legitimately has that kind of upside.
Can Isaiah Simmons finally live up to his potential?
Let's face it, Isaiah Simmons has not lived up to his first-round billing.
The Arizona Cardinals drafted Simmons with the eighth overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. Simmons' claim to fame was being a tweener. As a safety, he is huge at 6'4″ 238lbs. As a linebacker, he's big enough to get the job done and boasts nice coverage ability. Draft analysts had some questions about Simmons but nonetheless projected him as a top prospect who could be used as a chess piece by a competent defensive coordinator. So far, that hasn't worked out.
Arizona started Simmons as a strong safety for his first two seasons in the NFL. He had a solid rookie year as as rotational player but struggled as a full-time starter in his second season. The Cardinals moved him to a linebacker / slot cornerback role in 2022 but eventually gave up on him.
Isaiah Simmons is not the superstar we expected, but he can still play an important role in a modern NFL defense. New York found some limited success with Simmons in 2023 as a linebacker. He flashed strong coverage skills once again and was mostly a solid tackler.
The Giants should keep using Simmons on third downs and other obvious passing situations. His mixture of size and coverage skills make him an ideal defender against big slot receivers and tight ends.
In short, New York should view Simmons as a rotational player and only use him in situations where they know he will excel. He'll take care of the rest.
