The NY Giants’ offense needs to get back on track in 2021, and there are five offensive players that will be depended on the most.
The NY Giants ranked 31st in offense in 2020. The offensive line was among the worst in the NFL. The pass catchers had trouble getting separation. When they did get separation, drops were a major issue.
The quarterbacks (Daniel Jones and Colt Mccoy) were inconsistent at best. The running backs were actually solid but lacked explosive big-play ability after Saquon Barkley went out with a torn ACL in the second game.
Other than that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?
Dave Gettleman has spent first-round picks on offensive players in his first 4 years as the general manager. Saquon Barkley, Daniel Jones, Andrew Thomas, and Kadarius Toney were all selected over outstanding defensive football players.
Players like Bradley Chubb and Josh Allen (DE) could be the NY Giants’ duo at outside linebacker, but Gettleman went with Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones instead.
Is 2021 going to be the year when the first-round draft capital starts to pay off and the offense finally starts to click? Dave Gettleman better hope so, or else his days are numbered as general manager of the NY Giants.
Just like in my article ranking the most important defensive players, here I will rank the most important players on the offensive side of the ball. I will once again use the NFL Positional Value Pyramid developed by Matt McGuire from Walter Football Draft Report to help determine my rankings. Other factors include the talent level of the players and the Giants‘ depth at each offensive position and how the NY Giants would fare if an injury occurred to a particular player.
Here is a player that just missed the top 5:
Honorable Mention: Sterling Shepard
Position: Number 2 Receiver
Positional Value: Tier 5
What makes him a great offensive player?: Shepard has become Jones’ security blanket. He led Giants receivers in catch percentage vs. man coverage (69.2%) and zone coverage (78.7%) in 2020. When working out of the slot, Shepard caught 20 out of 25 snap targets last year.
Without Golden Tate on the roster, Shepard will be in the slot a lot more in 2021. This is a good thing for both Shepard and the NY Giants’ offense. Shepard was great down the stretch last season and clearly has good chemistry with Daniel Jones. He had 17 catches, 189 yards, and 3 TDs in his final two games.
Shepard is the longest-tenured Giant, and he has also been one of the best players in training camp (and not just because he became Troy Hill’s dad.) After the NY Giants drafted another slot receiver in Kadarius Toney with their first-round pick in April, Shepard appears more motivated than ever.
How would the NY Giants fare without him?
Toney would be the likely replacement after playing mostly in the slot as a Florida Gator.
Toney is viewed by some as Shepard’s eventual replacement, but I don’t think that is necessarily the case. Shepard is a terrific run blocker and fits the kind of run-first offense the NY Giants have been building in recent years.
Jones would miss his go-to third-down target if Shepard were to miss time again. The NY Giants’ offense struggled mightily last season in Shepard’s absence.