12 thoughts from the 2018 New York Giants season

LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 09: Running back Saquon Barkley #26 of the New York Giants stiff arms strong safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix #20 of the Washington Redskins in the second quarter at FedExField on December 9, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 09: Running back Saquon Barkley #26 of the New York Giants stiff arms strong safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix #20 of the Washington Redskins in the second quarter at FedExField on December 9, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

No. 5 – Safety position in flux

Even with a healthy Landon Collins in the fold, the New York Giants safety position play was substandard in 2018. We’ll get to Collins and strong safety in a minute, but free safety has not been proficient at all. According to Pro Football Focus, Curtis Riley ranks 69th among safeties in the NFL, that’s not acceptable, so the G-Men should move on and embrace a more stable solution. Michael Thomas made the Pro Bowl as a special teams maven, but he’s been getting more snaps on defense since Week 12, per PFF. To assume he’s the answer at free safety may mitigate his impact on special teams, think Dwayne Harris, so it behooves to find a more permanent solution in the draft or during free agency. Thomas is signed through the 2019 season, so he can be in the mix in certain defensive schemes, as well as continue his special teams role.