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The New York Giants hope they can carry the momentum they gained in 2022 into the start of the new season.
This was a team that surprised most observers by making the playoffs last year in the NFC East and actually winning a postseason game on the road against the Minnesota Vikings. Their season ended the following week when they met the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional playoffs, but there was little doubt that the season was a success under first-year head coach Brian Daboll.
It's one thing to sneak up on opponents in Year 1, but it's quite another to repeat that success in Year 2 when opponents have fully assessed all strengths and weaknesses. That's one of the issues facing the Giants in 2023, and they will get tested early in the season by a challenging schedule.
They host the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1, and that's a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. Following what should be a less challenging game against the Arizona Cardinals, the Giants face the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills before a potential breather against the Washington Commanders.
Jones must show improvement
If the Giants are not ready to play, they could get off to a 1-5 start and find themselves buried in the division. If they are going to avoid that, they need quarterback Daniel Jones to show significant improvement and rise to the level of elite NFL quarterback.
It is difficult to see Jones playing at a level that is close to Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen, but he could be in the next group after that.
Jones completed 317 of 472 passes for 3,205 yards with 15 touchdowns and 5 interceptions last year, and he has the athleticism to make a number of plays with his legs. He ran for 708 yards and 7 touchdowns while averaging 5.9 yards per carry.
While the Giants hope Jones can increase his TD pass total, they can't ask him to tone down his running. That's because they don't have the studs at the wide receiver position who are likely to take over games.
Barkley can dominate at the running back position
The Giants do have a stud at the running back slot with Saquon Barkley, who is clearly one of the best in the NFL at his position. However, Barkley is not the happiest of campers because he does not believe that he is getting paid what he deserves. Barkley may be the poster child for the underpaid running back position.
The NFL has completely undervalued the position, and while quarterbacks, left tackles and edge rushers get paid handsomely for their skills, the best running backs do not. Barkley will earn slightly more than $10 million in 2024, but he did not get a long-term contract from the Giants as he enters his sixth season with the Giants.
Barkley was at his best last year as he gained 1,312 yards on 295 carries with 10 touchdowns. He also caught 57 passes for 338 yards and demonstrated a dependable pair of hands when Jones needed him.
Wide receiver is a position of need
As the Giants get set to start the season, it appears that the best receiver that Jones has at his disposal is tight end Darren Waller. The former Raider has the athleticism and size at 6-6 and 238 pounds to have a major advantage over defensive backs and linebackers that are asked to cover him. If Waller can stay healthy, he is capable of catching 100 passes or more, a total he exceeded in 2020 when he caught 107-1,196-9 for the Las Vegas Raiders.
However, the wideouts on the Giants depth chart appear to be lacking in big play ability. The Giants ranked 32nd in the league last year in plays of 20 yards or more with just 28. Waller should help them in that area, but a crew of Darius Slayton, Parris Campbell, Isaiah Hodgins, Jalin Hyatt, Wan’Dale Robinson and Sterling Shepard is not likely to create a lot of fear in New York's opponents.
Slayton was the best of the bunch last year with 46 receptions for 724 yards and 2 scores, while Hodgins caught 33 passes for 351 yards and 4 scores.
If the Giants are being honest with themselves, the lack of big-play performers at wide receiver has to be an issue.
That's why the Giants must find a quality wide receiver to trade for before they start the season. It seems unlikely that NFC opponents would complete a trade with the Giants, but the Raiders could make veteran wideout Phillip Dorsett available. His best season came with the Indianapolis Colts in 2016 (33-528-2), and he has the experience to give Jones a reliable target at the position.
