As the 2021 NY Giants football season approaches, the staff at GMENHQ decided to weigh in on who they thought would lead the team in each of the major statistical categories.
We are a little over two months away from the NY Giants kicking off their season vs the Denver Broncos. In what has seemed to be an eternity since we’ve experienced a regular football atmosphere, all signs point to a return to normalcy come September 12th at MetLife Stadium.
This offseason has been a busy one to say the least for Giants general manager Dave Gettleman and company.
From the free agency splash of signing wideout Kenny Golladay to the additions of Kadarius Toney and Azeez Ojulari via the NFL Draft – there is no doubt that the GMEN will be fielding a more complete and talented roster in 2021.
With this upgraded roster comes greater expectations as well, especially for third year quarterback Daniel Jones, who has been the clear winner of the offseason moves thus far.
After an underwhelming sophomore campaign sidetracked by injuries, a young offensive line, and lack of dynamic playmakers, Jones enters year three with a clear WR1, a healthy Saquon, more speed on the outside, and a more experienced offensive line. Even the biggest Danny Dimes stans understand that this season is critical for the long-term plans of both Jones and the organization.
Defensively, Patrick Graham returns most of his production from 2020, a defense that surprised many by finishing 9th in points/game, 10th in rush defense, 12th in sacks, and 12th in total defense – despite not having a true edge rusher, CB2, or healthy Xavier McKinney.
After bringing back Leonard Williams and adding Ojulari in the Draft, Adoree Jackson in free agency, and getting McKinney back on the field is all the more reason to be excited for this unit heading into the fall.
While it’s certainly an exciting time to be a NY Giants fan considering the team that’s been put together with Joe Judge leading the way, it’s also fair to understand that the excuses are dwindling, and the results have to start showing up in the win-column.
With all that said, it’s time to take a look at our staff predictions for the NY Giants’ team leaders in the major statistical categories for the upcoming season:
Passing Yards & Touchdowns
Stephen Samra: Daniel Jones – 4,129 yards & 30 TDs: The NY Giants signal caller takes a year three jump – and his stats put him up there with players who did so last year, like Josh Allen and Baker Mayfield.
Matt Lombardo: Daniel Jones – 4,450 yards & 31 TDs, 24 interceptions: The NY Giants did everything possible to set Jones up for success in 2021. The combination of adding Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney, and re-injecting Saquon Barkley into an offense in a 17-game schedule should boost Jones’ numbers overall, but turnovers could remain an issue.
John Esposito: Daniel Jones – 4,245 yards & 32 TDs: Daniel Jones takes a big step this year and proves his haters wrong in a big way.
Danny Friedman: Daniel Jones – 4,100 yards & 29 TDs
Connor McJunkin: Daniel Jones – 4,374 yards & 33 TDs: Jones showed in his rookie campaign and even last year that he can stretch the field vertically, and did so with much lesser talent than he will have in 2021. As long as Jason Garrett utilizes this strength, I don’t see how Danny Dimes fails to put up these type of numbers with Golladay, Shepard, Engram, Barkley, Rudolph, Slayton, and Toney at his disposal.