Kadarius Toney has had a disappointing preseason, but some of the NY Giants rookies look primed for big roles in 2021
The preseason has not been pretty, but the NY Giants have done damage control during two exhibition losses that lacked the primary players that will determine how the Giants‘ season plays out.
A Week 1 loss to the NY Jets was a special event, because of the return of fans to the seats at MetLife Stadium. It wasn’t so because of the 19 total points scored in the two teams’ first game with a crowd resembling a sea of blue and green in two years.
The offense struggled mightily, and Clayton Thorson ended up getting injured and subsequently cut. That said, the Giants D made Zach Wilson look more mortal than the Green Bay Packers did.
Next up was a step up in performance for the NY Giants in Week 2 of the preseason,, but the Browns held on in the fourth to keep NY winless so far this summer.
Obviously, NY Giants coach Joe Judge probably doesn’t love being 0-2 in his first preseason (given COVID-19’s theft of the preseason in 2020), but what’s more important is how the team is coming along ahead of his second season in the tri-state area. ‘
And, most importantly as it is every preseason, how the team’s first-year players are adjusting is the priority.
So how are the rookies doing? That is the question of the day, and let’s attempt to answer it by power ranking the them as the preseason comes to a close:
NY Giants rookie No. 6: RB Gary Brightwell
Brightwell had a great chance this preseason to make a notable impact in the backfield with Saquon Barkley slowly coming to speed after recovery from a torn ACL.
NY Giants general manager Dave Gettleman brought in veterans Corey Clement and Alfred Morris to shore up the depth chart but neither guy did much to impress in the preseason.
Well, Brightwell hasn’t either, and unlike those guys, he has no body of work to fall back on.
Morris has already been released, and Brightwell might find himself in a make-or-break battle with Clement in the preseason finale Sunday against the Patriots.
All he has are a few unimpressive preseason games and an underwhelming training camp in his back pocket.
That might not be enough for the 2021 sixth-round pick to stick on the roster. Unlike some others, injuries aren’t holding Brightwell back … his performances are.