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The New York Giants have been raked over the coals by just about everybody this offseason. They've been relentlessly criticized for just about everything from their trade of Odell Beckham Jr. to the drafting of Daniel Jones sixth overall.
Dave Gettleman has caught a lot of flak, and some of it has gotten a bit out of control. There are actually some reasons to be somewhat optimistic about the Giants in 2019, and Connor Orr of SI.com agrees.
Orr recently broke down teams likely to improve on their 2018 results, listing a handful of “worst to first” candidates, and he included the Giants first.
Article Continues Below“I think divisional strength (or lack thereof) is a major factor here. While the Eagles will almost certainly be better—or at least more complete—than they were in 2018, the rest of the landscape is puzzling at best. Washington could start a rookie quarterback. Dallas may take a step back,” he writes.
Orr's point about the division is spot on. It's one of the weaker divisions in football, and any team conceivably could break out. Carson Wentz hasn't been able to stay healthy each of the past two seasons, and there are reasons to believe the Redskins and Cowboys will both struggle. Orr also thinks the Giants have made some improvements on offense this offseason.
“After another offseason spent loading up on offensive line help, the Giants could theoretically control the line against almost all of their opponents. Saquon Barkley is primed for a phenomenal season, leading to the possibility of a higher-end, quarterback agnostic offense with Eli Manning and Daniel Jones behind center. While this isn’t a Super Bowl winning formula, it’s a formula that could help the Giants navigate the 27th-most difficult schedule in the NFL,” Orr says.
As he points out, the Giants will play a very easy schedule as a result of their last-place finish in 2018. They'll be flying under the radar, and just might be able to shock everybody.
