Last season was a depressing one for the NY Giants, this is something we all know. The team finished a measly 4-13 and former head coach Joe Judge was fired. It seemed as if a new era of Giants football was on the way.
With next season being right around the corner, it’s time to start looking at how the squad could potentially perform. In our opinion it’s likely that the NY Giants will be a much better team next campaign. Below, we have three reasons why for you.
3. Promising rookies in positions of need
Heading into the 2022 NFL Draft, the NY Giants had two positions in mind with their two first-round picks: right tackle and edge-rusher. With this in mind, they selected Kayvon Thibodeaux No. 5 overall and offensive tackle Evan Neal at No. 7. This was a big win.
These two spots were the most important positions to draft replacements for. Not only did the Giants have one of the worst offensive lines in the league last fall and winter, but they also managed to have one of the worst pass-rushes too.
To add two potentially elite players in these positions of need is crucially important to the team’s chances of success this year. Alongside these two, the Giants also drafted Joshua Ezeudu, who could potentially be the new starting left guard for the team, and Cordale Flott, who has the potential to see significant playing time following the release of James Bradberry.
While those two players are much bigger question marks compared to Neal and Thibodeaux, we still believe they will play a crucial role on this team. If Ezeudu and Flott can both step up and surpass their expectations as mid-round rookies, NY has the potential to be very successful.
New and exciting coaching staff led by Brian Daboll
The previous coaching staff of the Giants was quite embarrassing to watch and deal with. Joe Judge made some of the most questionable decisions we’ve seen from a coach of the Giants in a long time, and Jason Garrett was downright awful running the offense. While Patrick Graham was a bit of a saving grace for the staff, he is no longer with the team.
After a horrific season, Judge was let go, and a new coaching staff was eventually hired. Things have been highlighted by head coach Brian Daboll, former OC of the Buffalo Bills, defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, former DC of the Baltimore Ravens, and Mike Kafka, former NFL QB and QB coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.
It is hard to say if this coaching staff is better, however, as the Giants have yet to even play a preseason game. Despite this, it would take a lot of mistakes for this new staff to somehow be worse than the old group. At the very least, if the team is not better from a record standpoint, it seems very clear that they will be much more fun to watch.
It is nearly impossible to be a worse play-caller than Garrett. We are very high on Daboll, Kafka, and Martindale’s potential as a coaching trio, as not only are they all experienced, it also seems as if they truly have what it takes to coach a young, promising group.
Massively improved offensive line
Finally, fans of the NY Giants are no longer forced to watch Nate Solder and Will Hernandez play football for the team, as they have now been replaced by Mark Glowinski and Evan Neal, two players who we can almost guarantee will be better from Game 1.
Alongside the addition of Glowinski and Neal, the NY Giants also signed John Feliciano, former guard/center of the Buffalo Bills, to be the new center of the team. On top of that, as previously mentioned, the Giants drafted guard Joshua Ezeudu out of North Carolina.
While Nick Gates may have been the better player than Feliciano, he, as we all know, is dealing with rehab after a very gruesome leg injury that could potentially effect his ability to play down the road. As for Ezeudu, it’s not guaranteed that he will start, however, there is a good chance that he will be better, or at the same level as Shane Lemieux.
When you add all of these new offensive linemen next to Andrew Thomas, who was outstanding last season, it’s likely that the NY Giants offense will blossom behind this new line. Not only are Glowinski and Neal miles better than Solder and Hernandez, the additions of Ezeudu and Feliciano are both promising moves for this group too.
With Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley both playing in their contract seasons this year, it feels likely that we see them blossom behind this new and improved offensive line. If this line pans out as it seems they will, we could see the Giants potentially make major strides offensively, as they definitely have the personnel to do so.