NY Giants: 5 Offensive Breakout Candidates for 2021

The NY Giants’ offense needs to have breakout players to compete. These five veterans should help. 

It is a gross understatement to say the NY Giants’ offense is in need of some firepower.

The Giants‘ offense in 2020 was one of the worst in the league. Though he was named the most improved player, starting quarterback Daniel Jones regressed in just about every category. And despite the team improving its turnover differential by +17 from 2019, the Giants had just one additional win.

The offensive woes that continue to plague this team should not be set aside and forgotten.

But 2020 also felt like a tipping point. As bad as the offense played for much of the year, they ended the season in the hunt for the playoffs. The team is trending upward. And hope and expectation will occupy fans until they see the Giants take the field in 2021.

Who will be the main drivers for this? The staples of the Giants’ offense like Jones, veteran wide receiver Sterling Shepard, and Pro Bowl tight end Evan Engram will no doubt make up the foundation of Jason Garrett’s offense.

But, the offense with those players alone proved to be ineffective, to say the least. What’s needed are players that can step up and push the offense to a higher standard.

We’ll look at five players who have the potential to have a direct impact in improving the offense. Some are no brainers. Some are long shots. But all will be needed if the Giants want to become a successful contender.

Darius Slayton – WR

After a productive rookie season, Darius Slayton entered the 2020 season with high expectations. But he did not become the stand-out receiver the team needed him to be.

It’s not as though Slayton had an awful year. He led the team for the second straight season in yards, with 751, which puts him in the company of elite receivers of the Giants’ past. His 2020 total was 11 yards more than his total in 2019, though it was spread out through two more games played.

Slayton was again second on the team in targets, but only had two additional receptions in 2020 with 50. He was third on the team in receptions.

Of concern, he was down in touchdowns (3 in 2020 vs 8 in 2019) and up in drops (6 vs. 2).

The offense across the board was down in productivity in 2020. The Giants in 2020 passed for 3026 yards, whereas the team threw for 3731 the year before. As the second most targeted player, Darius Slayton would have had more opportunities to shine had the Giants been able to throw the ball better.

But, Slayton’s best attribute coming into the season was his ability to haul in touchdowns. And though he’s now led the team back-to-back seasons in receiving yards, it’s not a good sign at how low the totals are.

Odell Beckham Jr. was the last Giants’ receiver to lead the team in consecutive seasons. But he did it with nearly double the amount of yards. Beckham led in 2015 with 1450 and again in 2016 with 1367

What may be more troubling for the team is that in three of the past five seasons the Giants leading receiver had fewer than 1000 yards.

While Slayton may not turn out to be the next OBJ, it doesn’t mean he can’t help the team. The other receiver to lead the Giants without breaking 1000 yards was Sterling Shepard, who when healthy is one of the more dangerous slot receivers in the game.

And if the Giants either draft or obtain a true number one receiver, expectations for Darius Slayton won’t remain unrealistic, which should allow him to flourish.