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New York Giants: areas of concern before training camp

By Eric Mollo

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It goes without saying: every NFL team has holes. Sometimes, teams hide those holes. The Giants showed that in 2007 when the dominant play of their front seven overshadowed the mediocrity of their secondary. Other times, teams can’t hide it. And the Giants demonstrated that in 2009,2012, and 2013 when their pass rush went flat and their secondary subsequently collapsed.

Well, for Giants’ fans sake, I hope that doesn’t happen again. At least not this season. And I don’t think it necessarily will. But I do know this team is particularly thin in some areas, and it makes me wonder if the lack of depth at certain positions will lose them some crucial games.

Below I listed positions at which the Giants do lack depth and/or experience. And I think fans should look at them as positions of concern. It’s these spots that could not only costs the Giants a win or two, but more importantly a spot in the postseason.

Safety

Jun 16, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants safety Landon Collins (21) participates in practice during minicamp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Steven Ryan-USA TODAY Sports

I don’t think the Giants really lack depth at safety, but it’s no question they seriously lack experience. Jeromy Miles—a July free agent signee—is their most experienced safety. He has started three games in five seasons. Yes, you read those italics right, seasons. We’re just not going to have any idea how this unit will perform with that little NFL experience. But I do think fans have to expect some mental lapses, just as these guys learn to master the position at the professional level.

It’s not to say they don’t have talent at this position—I don’t think that’s necessarily true. Expectations are high for first rounder Landon Collins, and Nat Berhe, Cooper Taylor, and Mykkele Thompson have some raw talent as well. But we just don’t know how their games will translate to the pro level.

Fans will just have to wait and see, but Jerry Reese and Co. are taking quite a risk by not adding more depth to the position. The front seven may have to bail this unit out if they really fall into trouble.

Linebacker

Sep 8, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; New York Giants outside linebacker Jon Beason (52) against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

I think most fans are worried about the Giants’ lack of safety depth, but I think they should be more concerned with how thin this team is at linebacker. They’re thin. Very thin. Jon Beason is coming off an injury, and JT Thomas and Devon Kennard are starting alongside him. Thomas is a journeyman, and while Kennard showed flashes of pass rushing ability in 2014, we have no idea how his career will play out–we just haven’t seen enough.

This is such a risky experiment for so many reasons. Their outside backers may have trouble shedding blocks, exposing a weakness against a team that’s already had trouble defending the run. Beason’s injuries may have finally sapped his speed. And they’re relying on Thomas to covert tight ends and backs on the weak side–and it’s not to say he’s a bad cover linebacker–but I’m not sure how good he is in coverage either.

There are so many questions surrounding this unit, and I’m just not sure how ready they are to perform. If there’s any position I worry the most about on this team, it’s the LB’s.

Running Back

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The Giants have depth here, and each back brings a little something different to the table, but what concerns me about the team’s running back situation is how injury prone this unit is. Shane Vereen played 16 games last year, but it was the first time he’s done that in his four NFL seasons. And they’re going to rely on him as a blocker, which could leave him vulnerable to further injuries.

And–Vereen’s not alone in the injury bug category–Rashad Jennings has never played a full season either and has battled a number of injuries throughout his career. If Jennings and Vereen miss time and Andre Williams is thrust into a starting role, running back could be a position with depth to a position in dire need for the Giants pretty quickly.

Returner (Kick and Punt)

This has been a position of concern for the Giants since Domenik Hixon’s first ACL tear. It’s not so much that the Giants have bad return men, but they don’t really have playmakers at the position. Dwayne Harris showed he has some return skills from his first few years in Dallas. However, the Giants gave him $7.1 million guaranteed this offseason on a new deal, so I’m not sure how much he’ll

Nov 23, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dwayne Harris (17) returns punt against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

contribute on special teams. That seems more like the price tag of a receiver. I could be wrong, but I’d be surprised if they guaranteed that much money to a return man. I expect him to play more receiver this year and serve as insurance as Victor Cruz works his way back.

And if not Harris, who steps into return? Well, it would probably be Preston Parker. It’s not so much a knock on Parker, because he really wasn’t too bad of a kick returner in 2014, but he’s not much of playmaker.

I think most people would argue with me that the offensive line is a bigger concern than the return game, but what bothers me here is there are just no difference-makers at this position. Special teams can carry clubs a long way and gives teams an extra dimension. The Giants look like they may be really lacking in that department this year.

Next: New York Giants Depth Chart: offense

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